KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday launched ‘Arjun Vahini’, a force aimed at ensuring a rapid response to natural and infrastructure-related disasters in vulnerable areas across the state.
In its initial phase, ‘Arjun Vahini’ will comprise 200 personnel, primarily retired soldiers registered with the State Sainik Board and former Agniveers. The force will initially be deployed in disaster-prone areas of Kolkata, the Darjeeling hills and the Sundarbans, the Chief Minister said while announcing the initiative at Nabanna Sabhaghar.
Adhikari said the initiative would eventually be expanded and equipped with state-of-the-art technology on the lines of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The ‘Arjun Vahini’ personnel will comprise retired soldiers below the age of 40. Under the initial deployment plan, 100 personnel will be stationed in Kolkata, 50 in the Darjeeling hills and another 50 in the Sundarbans.
“Later, the force will also be deployed at major tourist destinations, including Digha, Mandarmani, Mukutmanipur, Tarapith and the Terai-Dooars region in north Bengal,” he said.
“The force will be tasked with prompting responding to disasters and emergencies. Their contract period will be for four years,” the chief minister said.
According to Adhikari, the Vahini members will be designated as ‘Veer’, while team leaders will be known as ‘Veer Nayak’.
“Veers will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 25,000, while Veer Nayaks will receive Rs 40,000. Members of the force will also be eligible for a three per cent annual increment,” the Chief Minister said.
Given the risks associated with disaster-response operations, the government has also provided insurance coverage for members of the force.
In the event of death or serious injury, the insurance coverage will be Rs 10 lakh, while Rs 5 lakh will be payable in cases of permanent disability, Adhikari said.
Around 20 per cent reservation is being provided in these disciplined services, the Chief Minister announced.
Citing the collapse of the Posta and Majerhat flyovers in Kolkata and Cyclone Amphan, which ravaged coastal districts such as South 24 Parganas, Adhikari recalled how teams had to be brought in from Odisha to clear fallen trees during the cyclone.
“A number of accidents in the past were linked to institutional failures and corruption, including the filling of wetlands for construction, approval of building plans without proper soil testing and the failure to assess the load-bearing capacity of flyovers adequately,” he alleged.
“Earlier, the safety of rescue personnel and their families had been neglected because of paucity funds. Now the Centre has provided sufficient funds. The state government would use the available funds to procure modern rescue equipment and specialised vehicles to strengthen disaster-response infrastructure capabilities,” he said.
Expressing concern over the ecological stability of the Darjeeling hills, particularly in the wake of recent natural disasters in neighbouring Nepal, Adhikari referred to a proposal submitted by Lok Sabha MP Raju Bista and a letter seeking a ‘Himalayan Study’.
“The proposal had been forwarded to the chief secretary. The Centre and the state will jointly conduct a comprehensive survey of the geographical and geological conditions of the hills, and the findings will be made public at the earliest,” he said.
“The civil defence, NDRF, SDRF, state police, armed forces, paramilitary forces, fire services and municipal authorities have been directed to work together as part of an integrated disaster-response exercise,” he added.
At another programme held earlier in the day at the same venue, Nabanna Sabhaghar, Adhikari said journalists were free to criticise the government but should not do anything that could weaken the country.
"Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Constitution, but we must maintain the principle of nation first," he said at the programme, where he announced the doubling of the monthly social security pension for retired journalists to Rs 5,000 with effect from September 1 and the distribution of health cards under the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana, or the Chief Minister’s health insurance scheme.
Words that could weaken the country or hurt religious sentiments should be avoided, he said.
Under the health scheme, journalists and their families are eligible for cashless treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh at empanelled hospitals across the country.
