Delhi cabinet approves proposal to create its own SDRF for disaster response

The Delhi SDRF will be headed by an IG rank officer and will comprise 1,050 personnel, officials said.

Delhi will have its own dedicated disaster response agency as the cabinet has approved a proposal to set up the State Disaster Response Force, officials said on Friday.

The proposal to create the SDRF was passed during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday. (Ishant Chauhan/ Hindustan Times)

The Capital currently relies on the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services, police and other agencies for rescue and relief operations during emergencies.

The proposal to create the SDRF was passed during a Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday.

The SDRF will be headed by an IG rank officer and will comprise 1,050 personnel, officials said.

"There will be 18 teams -- one each for the 13 revenue districts and the remaining five in reserve. Initially, the force will comprise personnel who will be taken on deputation from the CAPFs," said an official.

Another official said they are targeting to have at least a couple of teams in place by the beginning of January.

"For personnel to be taken on deputation, we will have to take out advertisements, and then conduct interviews of shortlisted candidates. The process will take at least two months," the second official said.

A formal notification will then be issued, officials said.

How the SDRF proposal gathered pace

To be sure, the proposal to create an SDRF is not new. It was during the AAP government's tenure that the Revenue Department had drawn up a proposal to raise the SDRF, citing Uttarakhand's SDRF, which was involved in the Silkyara Tunnel rescue. However, there was no movement on it.

The proposal to create SDRF gathered pace after seven people were killed in a building collapse in Satya Niketan last month.

HT has been reporting on the government's push to create its own disaster response force.

The proposal was mooted amid growing concerns over Delhi’s vulnerability to both natural and man-made disasters, as it falls within the high-risk Seismic Zone IV and has witnessed recurring monsoon floods, fire incidents, and building collapses.