Many among participants not familiar with district management plan

SHILLONG: A senior consultant of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was surprised when he found out that some among the stakeholders of the State disaster management mechanism were not familiar with the district management plan.
NDMA’s Major General VK Dutta (retd) said the district management plan, or DMP, is necessary to reduce the response time during calamity. Dutta told reporters that the entire North East is located in a very high seismic zone which poses the first threat level to the region. He also felt that there is no proper monitoring of buildings in the region by the authority concerned. “There should be a basic minimum design adopted by every household while constructing houses in a seismic zone,” he said.
“I told the Chief Minister (Mukul Sangma) to make sure that every officer who has a role to play (in disaster management operations) has to read the plan (SOP) and understand his role and responsibility when calamity strikes,” he said on Day 2 of joint mock exercise that was conducted in Upper Shillong on Wednesday.
Dutta pointed out that the municipal corporation and the Urban Affairs Department have a major role to play in this regard, especially when it comes to construction of high-rises which should be approved by structural engineers.
The Air Force, Army, Meghalaya State Disaster Management Authority, State Disaster Response Fund, Civil Defence and Fire & Emergency Services took part in the mock drill conducted as part of the exercise on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.