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| State Disaster Management Authority still in slumber | | vAct in place but govt lacks infrastructure, trained personnel | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Aug 6: Even as the J&K government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah promptly responding to the cloudburst catastrophe in Leh has released Rs 5 cr for relief and restoration in the affected district, the disaster that struck last night has once again put a question mark on the fact as to why government has been sleeping State Disaster Management Authority and its formal functioning as desired by the State Disaster Management Act of 2005. Though the rules were framed two years later, in 2007, the State Disaster Management Body is still in limbo , with no provisions implemented on ground.
The Chief Minister has no doubt directed the administration to intensify relief and rescue operations and shift the affected people to safer locations but absence of a proper Authority meant for such disasters even at the District levels under the Act has only successive governments' complacency over matters of urgent importance like disasters that occur in J&K state frequently.The Act it may be mentioned was passed after the disastrous earthquake in 2005 under the tenure of the then PDP- Congress coalition but the rules were framed when the coalition was led by the then CM Ghulam Nabi Azad in 2007.
The provisions necessarily warranted creation of State Disaster Management authority with Chief Minister as its Chairperson and Deputy Chief Minister as Vice chairman besides around five ministers of related important departments as members. The Act also desired setting up of a State Executive Committee with Chief Secretary as the Chairperson and other secretaries of various departments as members. This Committee as per the rules was required to prepare the State Disaster Management Plan which shall envisage dissemination of information, ensure coordination among various departments, training the personnel associated with disaster management etc etc besides of course its role in post disaster evaluation. Though the government contends that State Disaster Management Authority has been constituted in the year 2008 but its functioning as on ground has not been visibly effective.
However, most important aspect of the rules was that both State Authority as well as the state executive Committee was required to meet frequently, at least twice a year. It has also been laid out that even at the district level the District Disaster Management Authorities had to be set up with Deputy Commissioners as chairmen and four senior officers as members. The Department of Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation is the Advisory Department for the Authority. Whether the Authority ot the Executive Committee under the new coalition dispensation has ever met or done any of the exercise so far , was not confirmed by any of the minister. However, a senior administrative officer , wishing anonymity said things are at snail's pace for want of proper infrastructure, lack of trained personnel etc for making it truly functional. " We are still in a nascent phase …..it will take time for making it fully functional in terms of tackling disasters aggressively", he said adding that for that things need to be pursued vigorously with National Disaster Management Authority.
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