Imphal, July 28: State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has only 37 personnel acting as a specialist response force at times of disaster said official of the Relief and Disaster Management Department replying to media queries during today’s press conference of department heads organized by the DIPR.
The official further said that India has 10 battalions of NDRF personnel, Each NDRF Bn. consists of 1149 personnel. Manipur should have 1 battalion of SDRF according to the disaster management act 2005. The shortage of personal is due law and order situation and shortage of financial condition of the state as the state home department is not ready to provide more personnel to the department. He further added that if the law and order is improved than the number of personal will be increased and recruitment of 6 experts in disaster management as consultants is in progress.
He further added that state government has submitted an estimate of Rs 2097.30 crores to the centre government as estimate of damage in the 4 January earthquake of magnitude 6.8 in Richter scale which claimed the lives of 10 persons and injured 120 persons and caused extensive damage to 3218 buildings consisting of both government and private buildings. He further stated that a team of central government visited last May to inspect and the state government is waiting for the result.
He further added that for urgent requirements the state government has sanctioned Rs 14.41 crore and Prime Minister of India has also released a sum of Rs. 30.50 lakh as ex-gratia payment to the families of the deceased and seriously injured persons and reconstruction of the fully and partially damage private houses.
He further added that the department has taken up various activities including training and capacity building programmes on school safety and preparation of school disaster management plans, building codes and designs and basic disaster management concepts to various stakeholders and community volunteers and elected members of the local bodies.
