BADAL for strengthening disaster management authority in Punjab

Chandigarh, July 8, 2013: The Punjab government would equip its Disaster Management Authority to face any challenge or eventuality arising out of natural calamity in future.

A decision to this effect was taken by the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in a meeting with the officers/officials deployed in the Uttarakhand for carrying out relief and rescue operations here at Chief Minister’s Residence this evening.

The Chief Minister said 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/disasters like earthquakes, floods and fire etc,. 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 adding Badal said there would be no paucity of the 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 the new fire tenders equipped with the 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.

Badal highly appreciated the collective efforts made by the civil and police officers/officials besides the medical teams including the doctors and paramedics in saving the lives of the people apart from providing them succor in this hour of crisis. He also lauded the exemplary role of pilots in evacuating the people stranded at various pilgrimages in Kedarnath, Badrinath and Gobind Ghat.

Meanwhile,, the officers/officials present in the meeting shared their traumatic experiences and narrated the hardships faced them while undertaking the relief and rescue operations in Uttarakhand valley. 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.

Prominent amongst others who attended the meeting included Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Gaggandip Singh Brar besides the DGSE KS Pannu, MD Punjab State Cooperative Bank Kamaldeep Singh Sangha and DIG Khubi Ram, who were deployed by the state government in Uttarakhand for the execution of relief and rescue operations.