NDMA team begins rapid visual survey in Jammu
*World Bank to bear entire expenditure on exercise
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 14: Thousands of vital public buildings in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be made earthquake resistant under National Seismic Risk Mitigation Programme (NSRMP) and a team of engineers from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has already started rapid visual survey of several such structures, which have been shortlisted for retrofitting works in the first phase.
The objective of National Seismic Risk Mitigation Programme is to reduce vulnerability of communities and their assets to natural disaster by taking appropriate mitigating measures and to strengthen the capacity of national and State entities to effectively plan for and respond to earthquakes.
A total of nine States and Union Territories of the country have been selected under the National Seismic Risk Mitigation Programme keeping in view their vulnerability to the earthquakes and Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh also fall in this list.
Though selection of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir under NSRMP was conveyed to the concerned authorities long time back yet no serious efforts were made by them to furnish the requisite data particularly the list of vital buildings required to be retrofitted under this programme.
It was only in the recent past that necessary details from the Deputy Commissioners were received that too after Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction sought the direct intervention of the Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam.
Thousands of vital buildings in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have been identified for making earthquake resistant under National Seismic Risk Mitigation Programme and the complete information has been shared with the National Disaster Management Authority, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
These buildings have been identified for retrofitting under NSRMP on the basis of their age, criticality, usage and location, they further said while disclosing that of these buildings, around 200 structures have been selected by the National Disaster Management Authority for retrofitting works in the first phase and remaining will be taken up in the subsequent phases.
A team of engineers from National Disaster Management Authority accompanied by consultants of Design Development Forum-Aga Khan Development Network Joint Venture has already started the rapid visual survey in Jammu during the past two days and have examined the Civil Secretariat, Kot Bhalwal Jail and Fire Station Jammu, sources disclosed.
“The team is conducting site survey, taking measurements, samples, pictures and videos of the identified buildings as part of feasibility study for undertaking retrofitting works under the NSRMP”, sources further said, adding in order to ensure that visiting team doesn’t face any problem in conducting inspections of the identified buildings the Government has appointed Nodal Officers of the respective departments for extending full cooperation.
The States and UTs which have been selected under NSRMP are Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, J&K and Ladakh. Of these States/UTs, the rapid visual survey is being conducted only in J&K and Tripura because of promptness shown in the recent months in furnishing requisite information to the National Disaster Management Authority, sources in NDMA said.
“The retrofitting works of the identified buildings will be carried out by the engineers to be engaged by the World Bank and National Disaster Management Authority as such no funds would be directly released to the Government of J&K”, sources said, adding “of Rs 5000 crore worth NSRMP, around Rs 250 crore would be spent in making identified buildings in UT of J&K as earthquake resistant”.
The buildings which are being taken up in the first phase of NSRMP are Raj Bhavan Jammu/Srinagar, Police Headquarters at Jammu/Srinagar; District Jails at Pulwama, Srinagar, Baramulla, Kupwara, Doda, Kathua, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Udhampur and Anantnag; Fire and Emergency Stations at Jammu, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Srinagar, Kathua, Kulgam, Samba, Shopian, Doda, Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban, Reasi, Anantnag, Udhampur, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam and Kupwara.
Also in the list of such buildings are office complexes of IGP Jammu/Kashmir; office complexes of Deputy Commissioners; Government Medical Colleges-cum-Hospitals Jammu/Srinagar; hospital premises of SKIMS Soura Srinagar; office complexes of SPs; airstrips/ATCs at Jammu/Srinagar; identified colleges at Jammu, Budgam, Ganderbal, Srinagar, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara, Pulwama, Poonch, Ramban and Reasi; circuit houses at Jammu/Srinagar; Radio Stations at Jammu/Kashmir; district hospitals; some school buildings; PHE installations and bridges over River Tawi and Jhelum.
“After completion of rapid visual survey of these vital public buildings the NDMA engineers are likely to visit Union Territory of Ladakh for similar survey there”, sources said while disclosing that list of vital public buildings in Leh and Kargil districts has also been furnished to the National Disaster Management Authority.
It is worthwhile to mention here that NSRMP has been sanctioned by the World Bank after India successfully executed National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) in the Coastal States of the country.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
