Assembly session adds to examinees’ woes
SHILLONG: People of Shillong witnessed on Monday dramatic scenes in busy streets of the city as the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) along with State Disaster Management Authority organized a mega mock exercise to face an earthquake.
Though prior information about the drill had been given to the general public and appeals were made for avoiding panic, many were taken in by alarm and surprise. The object of the exercise was to assess the preparedness of Shillong in dealing with an earthquake and it assumes significance in view of the fact that Shillong falls under high seismic zone and the city is prone to earthquakes.
But, carried out on a weekday when the board examinations were on, it caused difficulties for students returning home from examination centres. The Assembly session of the day also ended at about the same time when the mock exercise was being carried out, and it added further to the confusion.
There were huge traffic snarls in many parts of the city since no traffic route was intimated to the public during the exercise. Taxis refused to go to localities ) where the exercise was being held. Places chosen as disaster sites to hold the mock exercise were Nongrimmaw, Laitumkhrah, MUDA shopping complex, Police Bazar, Petrol Pump, Polo, NEEPCO Office and Shillong Public School.
Exercises in evacuation of people from high-rises, rescuing people injured from debris and taking them to hospitals were recreated. In the busy Police Bazar a large number of shops were closed and the police imposed restrictions on movement of pedestrians as rescue workers brought down people from the top of a building using ropes and pulleys.
It may be mentioned that Shillong is still known for the 1897 earthquake of magnitude 8.7 in the Richter scale that caused huge devastation in the entire North East.
Later, addressing a Press conference, member of NDMA J.K. Sinha asserted that earthquakes were a threat to Meghalaya while adding that this exercise helped the NDMA to identify the gaps in state’s preparedness to deal with such a catastrophe. The intention of the drill was to test effectiveness and preparedness of the incident response system (IRS) in tackling the after-effects of an earthquake.
Asked about the gaps, he admitted that there was a shortage of equipment and training to deal with emergency situations. The hospitals in the capital city needed to be upgraded to deliver during such emergency situations.
The NDMA had already requested the State Government to constitute organizational response team right from state headquarters till blocks, he said. People should be aware of the safety and first aid information in case of an earthquake.
Chairman of District Disaster Management Authority and Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills Sanjay Goyal thanked the Nongrimmaw and Bhagkyul localities for coming out in large number to conduct the exercise successfully.