By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 21 Mar: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the “International Conference on Use of Modern Technology for Disaster Management” at a hotel in Malsi here today. On this occasion, he said that the Himalayan states are extremely vulnerable from the point of view of disasters. Earthquakes, landslides, cloud bursts, forest fires and other natural calamities keep on happening here, due to which huge loss of lives and property is caused. He asserted that the only way to deal with these disasters is the “Proactive Approach”. The outbreak of disasters can be minimised only by this approach.
Dhami said that, along with disasters, earthquakes are a big threat to Uttarakhand and to avoid such disasters, special attention has to be paid towards the use of modern technology for pre-disaster warning. He expressed hope that in this two-day conference, there would be in-depth discussion on these subjects. He said that after the Kedarnath disaster in the year 2013, under the efficient leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the reconstruction works were carried out in Kedarnath on a war footing and Kedarpuri was not only reconstructed in a very short time, but made even more panoramic. Taking lessons from the Kedarnath disaster and other disasters that occurred in the state after that, the disaster management department, with the help of its experiences and related organisations, will be able to develop such a system by which we will be able to protect the state as well as other states in the coming times.
The Chief Minister said that apart from earthquakes, most of the disasters used to happen in the rainy season only, but in the last few years, disasters are happening anytime of the year. In view of this, the state needs special preparation to face disasters.
Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi, Secretary, Disaster Management, Dr Ranjit Sinha, Additional Chief Executive Officer Savin Bansal, Additional Secretary Anand Srivastava and subject experts related to disaster management were present on the occasion.
