learning lessons from the devastation created by the rains in Uttarakhand, Punjab Government has finally decided to equip its Disaster Management Authority to face any challenge or eventuality arising out of natural calamity in future.
Punjab authorities were caught unawares in 2010 when it experienced the worst natural disaster with plentiful rains flooding around 1200 villages in seven districts washing off paddy crop incurring huge loss to the farming community, with human toll crossing 25-mark, besides drastic economic loss.
The decision to prepare the State disaster management authority was taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in a meeting on Monday with the officers deployed in Uttarakhand for carrying out relief and rescue operations.
The department of disaster management would soon procure the latest equipment such as high lifts, boats and life saving jackets to rescue the victims trapped in various calamities or disasters like earthquakes, floods and fire etc,” said Badal.
He asked the department to prepare a comprehensive blueprint for the procurement of state-of-the-art equipment to save the precious lives of the people, while making it clear that there would be no paucity of funds for this good cause.
The Chief Minister also desired to immediately initiate effective steps for the up-gradation and strengthening of the fire brigade services across the State and directed the local government department to procure new fire tenders equipped with latest gadgets so as to prepare our fire personnel to take up any challenge or face any unforeseen eventuality in the wake natural disaster valiantly.
Meanwhile, the officials present in the meeting shared their traumatic experiences and narrated the hardships faced them while undertaking the relief and rescue operations in Uttarakhand.
They also stressed the need to impart training in the field of mountaineering to the members of the disaster management teams so as to enable them to carry rescue and relief operations far more effectively.
Punjab director General School Education (DGSE) KS Pannu, Punjab State Cooperative Bank managing director Kamaldeep Singh Sangha, and DIG Khubi Ram, amongst others who were deployed by the state Government in Uttarakhand for the execution of relief and rescue operations, attended the meeting.