SHILLONG, MAY 10: In just 40 days as many as seven persons lost their lives and 3085 houses were damaged due to various disasters from 31st March to 10th May.
The loss of lives mainly due to cyclonic storm and drowning, while around 3045 houses were damaged due to cyclone and hailstorm and 40 houses were burnt in the fire incidents.
Maximum houses were damaged in Eastern West Khasi hills District in which 587 houses were damaged due to cyclone and hailstorm while 5 houses were damaged due to fire incidents.
In East Khasi Hills alone, 390 houses were damaged due to cyclone and hailstorm and 8 in the fire incidents.
Over four hundred houses were damaged in West Khasi Hills and North Garo Hills.
Commissioner & Secretary in-charge Revenue and Disaster Management Sanjay Goyal on Friday reviewed preparedness of the state for the upcoming monsoon season.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the State Level Coordination Committee (SLCC), Goyal said, “The normal date for setting in of the monsoons in the state is in the first week of June. We are well prepared in terms of the upcoming monsoon season.”
“The main point of discussions and directions were how well we are prepared in terms of the emergency response activities. All the deputy commissioners are holding the district level coordination committee meetings wherein they will again set up the coordination workflow for any kind of eventuality and disaster. They have been directed to do the vulnerability assessment, which they are doing. We have just emphasized upon it that we go by the experience of the past and take appropriate action,” Goyal said.
Stating that the district level disaster management plans have been updated by the deputy commissioners, he said these include resource mapping, what kind of resources available in terms of equipment, in terms of machineries at various locations and whether we are updated on that or not.
“The list of nodal officers as you are aware due to elections, certain changes had happened in various levels in terms of transfers of the officers. So they have been asked to update the list of nodal departments along with their updated mobile numbers, so that there is a smooth flow of information at all levels,” he added.
Goyal informed that the Incident Response Systems have always been activated during this time for any kind of emergencies. “In terms of the communication networks, we have asked them (DCs) to update their plans to identify the areas, which are not having communications and maybe take help of the MPRO to ensure the channel of communication is always active.
In regards to the control rooms, the deputy commissioners have set up apart from the state level control room we have, and they have been directed to activate it by 24/7 at least till the time the monsoons are there, maybe till the month of October and September,” he added.
As far as relief operations are concerned, Goyal said almost around Rs 20 crore has been placed with the deputy commissioners to handle any kind of eventuality.
“I would like to add one more thing as reviewed by the chief minister, we have observed that there are certain bottlenecks in terms of the release of the funds to the beneficiaries in the shortest possible time and that has now been taken care of in terms of powers to the deputy commissioners,” he said.
“I am very happy to inform you that in the past one or two events which cyclonic damage has been done, we were in a position to transfer the money into the accounts of the beneficiaries within 24 to 48 hours, which is a great relief to the public and we have been able to take care of their immediate relief requirement in terms of repairing of their houses and other relief aspects which is as per the norms from the Government of India,” he added.