The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has deployed its two teams for conducting tracking and creating awareness on ‘how to save human life and property in disaster scenarios in their locality in case of natural disaster’ among people residing in mountainous districts of Uttarakhand.
3,400 SDRF battalion commandant P Renuka Devi flagged off two teams comprising 15 members - one for Dehradun while another for Tehri on Friday. SDRF battalion deputy commandant Navneet Singh Bhullar was also present on the occasion.
Renuka said that the first team is headed by sub-inspector Ravindra Singh who will carry out tracking and awareness campaign from Suwalkholi to Maldevta (distance-25 kilo metres) while another team is headed by sub-inspector Pramod Rawat who has been assigned the same from Thano to Marod bridge in Tehri district (distance-55 kilometres).
“The objective is to strengthen the rescue and relief operations by providing training to the local residents in case of emergency in the mountainous parts of the state. local residents will be given training about how to save human life and property in disaster scenarios. Youth will be given necessary equipments to save human and property in disaster scenario,” Ranuka added.
She further said that the World Bank has recently released Rs nine crore to SDRF to purchase search and rescue equipments and the tender for purchasing these equipments is under process.
The department received
Rsnine crore under Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project which aims at increasing the technical capacity of the state entities to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency and restore housing, rural connectivity and build resilience of communities in Uttarakhand.
Search and rescue equipments to be purchased are hand tools (collapsed structure search and rescue equipments), detection and location equipments, diving equipments, ambulance equipments, extraction and access equipments, lighting and power equipments, power tool, water rescue and flood relief equipments, medical first response, (MFR), portable shelters/tents and sheets, mountain and high rise building equipments and radio and communication. These equipments will enhance the capabilities of SDRF in risk mitigation and response, she added.