Srinagar: Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain who is also member National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday reviewed the disaster preparedness for ongoing Shri Amarnathji Yatra (SANJY) 2023 at Sonamarg.
Lt. Gen. (Retd) Hasnain on Monday convened a meeting of the officers of line departments and security agencies including representatives of SDRF & NDRF to review the Disaster preparedness
for ongoing SANJY at Youth Hostel Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Shyambir, SSP Ganderbal, Nikhil Borkar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Mehraj-ud-Din Shah, CEO SDA, SDM Kangan, CMO Ganderbal, Executive Engineers of various wings besides senior officers from various security agencies.
The meeting was informed that adequate SDRF and NDRF personnel with qualified Disaster Management Professionals have been deployed at all stations for smooth conduct of the Yatra.
Deputy Commissioner briefed the meeting about the preparations disaster wise including medical facilities, KPDCL, Fire and Emergency Services, FCS&CA, Jal Shakti, flood related emergency, landslides and availability of infrastructure during disaster via Baltal route.
The DC said that Incident Response System has been revised and all vulnerable spots are mapped out and sufficient manpower along with machinery is deployed to meet any exigency.
Regarding Communication Plan, the DC said that the District Disaster Management Control Room and Joint Control Room about the disaster manned by representatives of all concerned departments are setup at Baltal under the overall supervision of the Yatra Officer and Camp Commander.
The control room is in direct communication with the State Emergency Operation Centre Srinagar, PCR, and ICCC for a prompt response during emergencies. Wireless coverage is ensured at all
Yatra Camps for better communication, he informed.
Similarly, for mitigation plan the DC informed that IMD has set up base camp office at Baltal
equipped with MET instruments and manpower who provide 24/7 weather information.
He further informed that Common Alerting Protocol system has been adopted to issue alerts and warnings in the form of SMSs to large populations in specific regions so that pilgrims are able to adjust their visit plans based on the received alerts.
Hasnain said that the purpose of holding the meeting was to take brief review of arrangements to ensure that the Disaster preparedness plan is implemented as per the guidelines and to take feedback from different stakeholders to further improve it.
He stressed upon employing the proactive and anticipating procedure for the smooth and incident free management of Yatra.
He also advised all stakeholders to ensure that all necessary measures are put in place so that Yatries do not face any issues, especially in the event of adverse weather or natural calamity.
Hasnain suggested that a documented SOP shall be laid down at the district level for yatra
containing all aspects so that every stakeholder is aware about the arrangements pertaining
to them and prepare accordingly.
UNI
