By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 22 Apr: Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, today, chaired a meeting on SDRF preparations in view of the upcoming Chardham Yatra. The meeting was held at the State Police Headquarters.
During the meeting, he directed that 4 SDRF-trained policemen be deployed in each police station located along the Chardham Yatra routes and 2 in each outpost.
Kumar also stated that Aapda Mitras (Disaster Volunteers) also be trained in relief and rescue operations. Also, a district wise WhatsApp group of all these volunteers should be formed, in which the post commanders and company commanders of SDRF should be also added. This would improve the response time and rapid dissemination of information in case of any disaster.
The DGP also asked the senior officials to prepare a plan for the management and deployment of SDRF by identifying the important disaster-prone locations. He also said that there was a need to increase the capabilities of the High Altitude Rescue Teams and stated that 50 trained personnel be deployed at the base points of the trekking routes. He stressed that all members of these teams should be chosen from the personnel who had in the past climbed mountain ranges of a minimum altitude of 20 thousand feet.
In view of the upcoming Chardham Yatra and monsoon season, disaster and flood relief training given by SDRF to policemen ought to be not conducted during the months of May, June, July and August. This training should be started again from the month of September, onwards, he said. The DGP further directed that more training be imparted to the personnel in order to increase the capabilities of PAC personnel and policemen. He said that care should be taken to equip each flood relief team with state-of-the-art equipment.
Ashok Kumar also directed that permanent posts of SDRF be opened at Mori, Ghansali, Gairsain and Champawat, with another SDRF post in Dharchula, for relief and rescue operations during the monsoons.
Present on the occasion were Additional Director General of Police, Crime and Law & Order, V Murugeshan, Inspector General of Police, SDRF, Pushpak Jyoti, Deputy Inspector General of Police, SDRF, Riddhim Agarwal and senior SDRF officers.
