Govt strengthening SDRF for effective emergency response: Himachal CM
The chief minister held a meeting on August 1, 2024, following the cloudbursts in Mandi, Kullu and Shimla districts and directed the senior officers to enhance the effectiveness of the emergency response system
To strengthen the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) for effective emergency response, the state government has taken two important decisions -- firstly, the entire response framework will be unified under the additional director general of home guards and civil defence, ensuring a coordinated approach to any emergency or disaster management and secondly, home guards will be assigned to SDRF for two years reinforcing the system’s capacity and resilience.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated, “The state government is prioritising strengthening the SDRF in the pretext of increasing the frequency of cloudbursts and other natural disasters. The state government intends to make the system more organised and effective to safeguard lives and reduce losses. Himachal Pradesh is vulnerable to landslides, avalanches, earthquakes and other natural disasters and the state government is taking these risks with utmost seriousness.”
The chief minister held a meeting on August 1, 2024, following the cloudbursts in Mandi, Kullu and Shimla districts and directed the senior officers to enhance the effectiveness of the emergency response system. He emphasised the need for unified actions from all response agencies to minimise losses and save lives.
Sukhu remarked that natural disasters have immediate and lasting impacts on people’s livelihoods. He said that the economy of Himachal Pradesh heavily relies on tourism and natural disasters deter tourists adversely affecting local business and livelihood. He said that disasters also damage vital infrastructure which can take a long time to rebuild, thus hindering the economic pace of the state. The loss of agricultural land due to floods and landslides also impacts the income of the farming community. He further said that the state government is taking necessary steps to mitigate these challenges and also focusing on strengthening the early warning system, improving the infrastructure resilience and raising community awareness. He said that each disaster brings new challenges that strain the state’s infrastructure, disrupt local communities and also impact the environment. Therefore, it is highly important to ensure a better emergency response system and the state government will leave no stone unturned to minimise the losses and protect the people.
The chief minister said, “Recognising the growing threats of cloudbursts and other natural disasters, the state government is implementing the strategic steps to ensure a rapid, unified and resilient response to future challenges.”