Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 19 Jun: Following Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s directions, a state-level mock drill will be conducted on 2 July across all the 13 districts to assess monsoon preparedness and strengthen disaster response. The exercise will be held simultaneously at nearly 70 locations, focusing on effective coordination among departments during relief and rescue operations.
At a preparatory orientation and coordination conference chaired by Secretary Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Vinod Kumar Suman today, detailed instructions were issued to ensure smooth conduct of the drill. He explained that the CM had recently reviewed pre-monsoon arrangements and directed that a mock drill be organised to finalise preparations and reinforce inter-departmental synergy. The exercise will be conducted under the Incident Response System, with a table-top exercise scheduled for 30 June to review resources, deployment and planning.
Additional Chief Executive Officer Administration Prakash Chandra directed that a database of government employees trained in disaster management at ATI Nainital be created and prepared as first responders.
DIG Rajkumar Negi gave a detailed presentation on the table-top and mock exercises, emphasising that the drill would test departmental response capacity and improve coordination in relief and rescue. Joint CEO Obaidullah Ansari, RTO Dehradun Anita Chamola, Arun Kumar Pandey and Shantanu Sarkar were among those present.
The mock drill will also test relief camp arrangements, including electricity, water, food, primary healthcare, infant nutrition and facilities for pregnant women, with security ensured by police and home guards. Community participation will be a key focus, with involvement of ex-servicemen, former CAPF personnel, disaster volunteers, NGOs, NCC, NSS, Red Cross and other groups.
Ahead of the drill, disaster management and emergency response agencies will display equipment and resources, with demonstrations by SDRF, NDRF, police, fire services, health and other departments showcasing modern tools, communication systems, rescue vehicles and techniques.
Scenarios to be practiced include waterlogging in residential areas, threats to embankments, safe evacuation of schoolchildren, landslides blocking roads, supply of relief material to cut-off areas, issuing alerts during water release from hydropower projects and helicopter rescues of stranded persons. The exercise aims to ensure that the state machinery is fully prepared to respond swiftly and effectively to monsoon-related disasters.
