In order to conduct rescue and relief operation in case of natural disaster or emergency situations, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel would be deployed at 27 places on Char Dham Yatra routes, said State director general of police Anil K Raturi while presiding over a meeting with the police officers at police headquarters in Dehradun on Friday. Raturi said that Garhwal division has three companies of SDRF personnel while one company is in the Kumaon division. One sub section of women SDRF personnel has also been included in Garhwal division, he said, adding that SDRF personnel have succeeded in shaping a unique identity and exerting a positive impact on the people in the short span of four years of the force’s existence in the state. SDRF personnel are doing a great job by saving lives and have built a good public image by conducting rescue and relief operations in case of natural disaster and other emergency scenarios, he added.
State additional director general of police (law and order) Ashok Kumar said that SDRF personnel had already undergone complete training process on how to conduct rescue and relief operation in case of natural disaster. SDRF personnel would be deployed at 27 places on various routes including those to the Char Dham shrines, Kailash Mansarovar and Hemkund Sahib. One team each would be deployed at Bhatrojkhan in Almoram, lohaghat in Champawat and at Satpuli in Pauri district during the Yatra season.
He said that the police officers have been directed to identify areas prone to rain/snow, disaster and landslides in view of Char Dham Yatra so that adequate SDRF force can be deployed during yatra season, he said, adding that SDRF personnel would provide training to hill patrol unit, fire service personnel and provincial armed constabulary personnel as a part of their capacity building in view of Char Dham Yatra. SDRF personnel would also give training to flood and rescue team of water police and PAC on how to save persons from drowning in the river. IG (law and order) Deepam Seth, IG (PAC) AP Anshuman, IG (PHQ) GS Martolia, SDRF commandant Riddhim Aggarwal, SP (crime, law and order) Priti Priyadarshani and other SDRF officers and personnel were also present in the meeting.