From Our Correspondent
TURA, May 12: The West Garo Hills district administration on Tuesday reviewed its preparedness for the South West Monsoon, focusing on flood-prone plain belts and areas vulnerable to landslides.
Chairing a District Coordination Meeting at the Circuit House, Deputy Commissioner and DDMA Chairman Vibhor Aggarwal warned against complacency, noting that annual occurrences often lead to gaps in resource inventories. He directed all district officers to remain at their stations and avoid taking leave during the monsoon season.
Aggarwal emphasized that senior officers must personally supervise field operations during emergencies rather than leaving situations to junior staff. He also urged departments to share lessons from past disasters to improve current response mechanisms.
ADC and DDMA CEO JRT Sangma presented a review of last year’s measures, while departments were instructed to update their Disaster Management Plans. Key focus areas include identifying vulnerable zones, monitoring river water levels, ensuring the availability of water tankers, and stocking essential commodities and medicines. The administration also stressed the need for rapid damage assessment and the establishment of relief camps.
The meeting was attended by SP Abraham T Sangma, ADC Nipon Hajong, Block Development Officers (BDOs), and representatives from the medical and disaster management sectors. The Deputy Commissioner further instructed all BDOs to convene local-level meetings to map resources and involve ‘Aapda Mitras’ in disaster response activities.
