Collector orders audit of structures in seven days
District collector Jitendra Dudi on Tuesday instructed officials to inspect bridges, culverts, roads, buildings, wadas and hoardings within the next seven days
PUNE: After the recent collapse of the bridge over the Indrayani River at Kundemala which led to the death of at least four people while injuring 51 others, district collector and chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority, Jitendra Dudi, on Tuesday instructed officials to inspect all bridges, culverts, roads, buildings, Wadas and hoardings within the next seven days.
Dudi ordered a structural audit of all dangerous and dilapidated structures across the district including bridges, culverts, roads, buildings, Wadas, hoardings and railway bridges within the next seven days and said that the reports must be submitted to the Disaster Management Cell. Any structures found dangerous must be dismantled, and care must be taken during the process of dismantling to avoid inconvenience to the public, he said.
Dudi, during a review meeting held at the district collector’s office, said that all agencies must strictly follow guidelines issued by the district administration during disasters. Also present at the meeting were Zilla Parishad chief executive officer (CEO) Gajanan Patil; rural superintendent of police Sandeep Gile; and district disaster management officer Vitthal Banote among others.
Dudi said, “All vulnerable locations must be inspected and marked clearly. There should be wide awareness campaigns through various media. Even roads where waterlogging occurs—though not inherently dangerous—should be barricaded during the monsoon. Tourist access to hazardous spots must be restricted, and proper signage should be installed at tourist locations and roads with the help of forest committees. Extra personnel should be appointed as needed, and mock drills should be conducted at dangerous sites. Control rooms at the taluka level should function 24x7.”
The district collector directed that local inspections must be carried out and preventive measures must be taken in areas prone to flooding, and that slums located in the river floodplains should be cleared. ‘Aapada Mitras’ or disaster volunteers must be provided with the necessary facilities and trained through workshops. Those who perform well should be honoured, he said.
Furthermore, Dudi said that the health department must ensure that hospitals, beds, medical staff, ambulances, blood banks and medicine stocks are ready. “Rain gauge stations in villages must be verified and made operational. Police should be deployed and lifeguard teams should be kept on standby at crowded locations. Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) or MahaVitaran must inspect power poles, transformers, and wires for safety,” he said.
The local administration must educate residents of villages prone to landslides regarding early warning signs and safety measures. “Disaster management plans must be prepared from the district to the village level. Citizens must be given up-to-date information in simple language. Lessons learned from previous incidents must be incorporated into the new disaster management plans,” Dudi said.
Ahead of the annual Palkhi processions of Sant Tukaram Maharaj and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj, instructions have also been given for all unauthorised hoardings and dangerous trees along the Palkhi routes to be removed among others.
