Port Blair, July 17: Considering the vulnerability profile of this UT of A&N Islands and in order to enhance the capacity building towards disaster preparedness, a coordination conference-cum-meeting was convened under the Chairmanship of Dy. Commissioner, South Andaman in the Conference Hall of DC Office, South Andaman on 17/07/2017 with all stakeholders of South Andaman District for preparation of Action Plan and finalization of scenarios for conducting of Mock Exercise on Earthquake followed by Tsunami scheduled to be held on 27th & 28th July, 2017 at Hut Bay, Little Andaman organised by District Administration (S/A) in coordination with Directorate of Disaster Management.
Shri Udit Prakash Ray, Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman appraised the aims and objectives of the proposed exercise to the gathering and defined each line department’s roles and responsibilities in a cogent manner to hold Mock Exercise which must depict as real time disaster and directed to involve all the PRIs and Stakeholders of the Little Andaman Island in the proposed Mock Exercise schedule to be held on 28/07/2017 and take all precautionary measures before conducting the Mock Exercise. He also directed to all Stakeholders to attend Table-Top-Exercise on 27/07/2017 at Hut Bay with Island specific SOPs be presented for preparation of final action plan of mock exercise.
Shri Govind Ram, Director, Directorate of Disaster Management also briefed the Action Plan for the proposed mock exercise and procedures as well as need for conducting such Exercise at regular intervals. He emphasized for conduct of disaster management activities on regular basis at all levels of Community, Village, Tehsil, District and State, so as to achieve the target of overall disaster preparedness and capacity building and make the community disaster resilient. He further stressed for constitution of volunteers’ forces at village and Gram Panchayat levels by involving youths identified by Nehru Yuva Kendras for enlisting them as Civil Defence Volunteers.
