* Stresses on fire safety audit
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 13: Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti today directed mainstreaming of disaster management and preparedness by all departments even as she asked for supplementing of all hardware and software components to make the disaster response apparatus in the State ready for any eventuality.
Chairing a high level meeting of Rehabilitation, Relief & Disaster Management Departm-ents here today, the Chief Minister said Jammu & Kashmir being a high seismic zone and prone to other natural disasters, the State ought to have a disaster response apparatus ready all around to meet any eventuality. She asked for speeding up the process of constitution of State, Divisional and District Disaster Management Authorities and rolling out a Disaster Management Policy for the State.
Minister for Revenue, Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction and Disaster Management, Syed Basharat Bukhari and Minister of State for Revenue, Ajay Nanda were also present in the meeting.
The Chief Minister asked for timely usage of Rs 150 crore World Bank funds aimed at capacity building in disaster management in the State. She also asked for undertaking fire safety audit of hospitals and major structures in the State.
The meeting was informed that a complete morphological study of Jhelum and Tawi rivers in the State is being conducted by the Disaster Management Department and both the works have been tendered out. Also, the meeting was informed, the State Disaster Response Force is being reoriented to make it as the first responders to emergency situations arising out of any disaster.
The meeting was informed that already an Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) of the department has been started at Humhama, Srinagar and land for another Centre at Jammu has been identified and similar centres would be set up at all district headquarters. It was also informed that the first batch of 18 passed outs in post graduation in Disaster Management from University of Kashmir has been engaged by the concerned department for creating awareness among the people.
The meeting was also briefed about other measures taken by the department since its creation few months back.
Financial Commissioner, Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction and Disaster Management, B. B. Vyas; Com-missioner-Secretary, Revenue, Muhammad Ashraf Mir; Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Dr. Pawan Kotwal besides Deputy Commissioners of Jammu, Samba and Kathua and officers from Relief Organization were present in the meeting.
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