‘Proactive planning, inter-agency coordination key to minimise flood, landslide, cloudburst damage’
Srinagar: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday led a high-level meeting here to review Jammu and Kashmir’s preparedness for the upcoming monsoon season, amid concerns over past floods and natural calamities. Senior officials from various departments, including Administrative Secretaries, Commandant SDRF, divisional commissioners, IGPs, and district officials, participated in the discussions.
Dulloo emphasized proactive planning and urged departments to implement preventive measures well in advance to minimize damage from floods, landslides, cloudbursts, and other disasters. He highlighted that effective disaster response depends on robust inter-agency coordination among disaster management, relief, rehabilitation, and emergency services. The Chief Secretary stressed the importance of detailed mapping of vulnerable areas and hazard-prone locations to formulate targeted mitigation strategies.
He directed departments to conduct safety audits of critical infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and government buildings, and to ensure swift restoration of roads and connectivity during emergencies, involving agencies like BRO, NHAI, and PWD. Dulloo also urged the Power Development Department to assess and reinforce their assets to prevent outages during adverse weather.
The meeting heard from officials including Chandraker Bharti, Principal Secretary of DMRR&R, who reported ongoing preparedness reviews, fund allocations for emergency gear, fire safety audits, and plans for satellite phones in vulnerable areas. SDRF Commandant Imtiyaz Hussain Mir called for strengthening rescue units with modern equipment and increasing Civil Defence volunteers’ mobilization and remuneration.
Divisional Commissioners Ramesh Kumar (Jammu) and Anshul Garg (Kashmir) presented their division-specific preparedness efforts, including deployment, contingency plans, early warning systems, mock drills, and vulnerability assessments. They detailed arrangements for the safety of Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra pilgrims, including the operation of the Integrated Command and Control Centre and deployment of Mountain Rescue Teams.
Additionally, ERA’s Shreya Singhal provided updates on the rapid progress of the Emergency Operations Centre at Ompora, expected to be fully operational by July. District officials outlined their local preparedness initiatives, while Chief Engineers of Project Sampark and Beacon confirmed roads and connectivity arrangements.
Dulloo reiterated the government’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property, urging all agencies to remain vigilant, maintain high preparedness levels, and ensure seamless coordination for an effective response during the monsoon.