BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday said early preparedness, quick rescue and restoration measures along with a long term revival programme should be the key to any disaster management. Addressing the State-level disaster management committee meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan here, the Chief Minister said Odisha is prone to multiple and recurring natural disasters.
Despite being vulnerable, the Government is prepared to face any situation, he said and added that the period from June to October is crucial as there is possibility of flood and cyclone.
The State is prepared to tackle the situation, he said. Stating that the Government has taken several resultoriented measures to lessen danger to people from natural disasters, the Chief Minister said preparedness should be dynamic, collective and participatory. Asking the administration to be prepared with Standard Operating Procedure based on ex- perience, he said Odisha remains the f o r e m o s t State to institutionalise communitybased preparation.
“We learn from previous disasters and make an endeavour to improve our preparation for possible calamity. We have been praised for learning from our experience and subsequent preparedness,” he added.
Naveen said the State’s experience in community-based preparation has also been helpful in management of Covid-19. He thanked people of the State for cooperating with the administration in the fight against Covid-19. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi said control rooms have been opened in every district headquarters from June 1 to November 30. Steps are being taken to open 15 temporary VHF centres in flood-prone areas.
Besides, 49 vulnerable places in different river banks have been identified and steps are being taken to secure them, he added. Odisha now has 879 multipurpose flood and cyclone centres and 769 of them are being currently repaired. Leader of the Opposition Pradipta Kumar Naik, members of the Council of Ministers, MPs, MLAs and secretaries of different departments attended.