Dehradun: A high level meeting was held with senior government officials and army and paramilitary forces officials at the State Emergency Operation Center located at Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan. In the meeting, keeping in view the current circumstances, making effective action plans for the future and quick and effective response during various disasters, and other topics were discussed. During this, he reviewed the preparations of various departments and agencies to deal with the emergency situation and gave necessary guidelines.
Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan said that Uttarakhand is very important and sensitive from a strategic point of view. The state borders China and Nepal, so vigilance and solid preparation are very important. He said that keeping in view the current circumstances, it is necessary that the scope of civil defense be expanded to other districts of the state as well. He said that in the state of Uttarakhand, only Dehradun district is notified as a civil defense district. He asked the Home Secretary to identify such districts and areas of the state which can be notified as Civil Defence. He directed to submit a proposal regarding this soon.
The Chief Secretary said that in case of any kind of disaster and recurrence of the current scenario, it is necessary that the preparedness should be kept strong at every level. We have to be prepared for every situation. He said that mutual coordination and synergy between the civil administration and the army and other forces is very important. He said that there should be a continuous exchange of information, so that it can be known in which areas there is a need for improvement.
He said that such inter-departmental meetings should be held at least three times a year. During this, he directed to create a WhatsApp group of the head officers of various departments, senior officers of Army, Air Force and paramilitary forces for better coordination and to nominate a single point contact for all departments and agencies.
Principal Secretary RK Sudhanshu, Director General of Police Deepam Seth, Deputy GOC Sub Area R.S. were present in the meeting. Thapa, Principal Secretary R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Home Secretary Shailesh Bagauli, Secretary Nitesh Kumar Jha, Secretary Secretary Kurve, Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar, Director General, Civil Defense Dr. P.V.K. Prasad, Commissioner Garhwal Vinay Shankar Pandey, Secretary Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Vinod Kumar Suman, IG. Garhwal Rajiv Swaroop, Inspector General, I.T.B.P., Sanjay Gunjyal, IG SDRF Arun Mohan Joshi, IG. Fire and Emergency Services, Mukhtar Mohsin, Director General, Information and Public Relations Department Banshidhar Tiwari, Additional Chief Executive Officer Administration Anand Swaroop, Additional Chief Executive Officer Implementation DIG Rajkumar Negi, District Magistrate Dehradun Savin Bansal, Senior Superintendent of Police Dehradun Ajay Singh, Joint Chief Executive Officer Mohd. Obaidullah Ansari etc. were present.
Efforts should be made for better coordination with departments
Dehradun. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan said that to deal with disasters effectively, it is necessary that there should be strong mutual coordination between various departments, institutions and agencies. He said that it is necessary to have good coordination between the departments like Disaster Management Department, Police, Health, Public Works, Drinking Water, Electricity, Fire, Transport, IT Department, Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, BRO etc. The better the coordination, the better work can be done during disasters.
State Emergency Operation Center will be the main control room
Dehradun. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan said that from the perspective of disasters, the State Emergency Operation Center located at USDMA will be the main control room. The control rooms of other departments established in the state will regularly share information with SEOC. Coordination will be done with SEOC during various disasters.
Cyber warfare should also be monitored
Dehradun. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan directed to keep the communication system in order for any emergency. Along with this, he also directed the IT department to remain alert at all times and ensure appropriate action to deal with cyber warfare.
Keep an eye on fake news
Dehradun. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan also directed to monitor fake news in social media and take legal action against those who spread misleading news and information. He directed the Information and Police Department to keep a close watch on this. He also appealed to the people to check whether the information is correct or not before spreading any kind of news and post. It is to be noted that the person who posts fake news is as guilty as the person who spreads and reposts it and there are provisions for strict action under the law and IT Act.
Fire hydrants should be checked
Dehradun. For effective control over various fire related incidents, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan asked to check the fire hydrants installed at various places in the state and install new fire hydrants as per the need. In this regard, he directed Commissioner Garhwal and Commissioner Kumaon to take appropriate action soon.
