CM: Follow disaster management norms

Tribune news service

Dehradun, November 21

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today asserted that any development activity in Uttarakhand should be in consonance with disaster management norms and asserted that this was important to safeguard lives of the people.

The Chief Minister was addressing the inaugural session of the two-day national workshop entitled - Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in the Himalayas: Opportunities and Challenges - that started in Dehradun today. He said development and environment must go together. 

“While there is a growing demand for development, there are commitments too for the cause of environment conservation”, he pointed out. He said disaster management norms must compulsorily be taken under consideration while undertaking any development activity in the state.

He also held environment imbalances a cause behind frequent occurrences of natural disasters in Uttarakhand. “In last two years, as many as 38 mild tremors have hit the state. But there has been rise in incidents of cloudburst and excess rainfall, which certainly is a matter of concern for us”, he said.

National Disaster Management Authority’s member Kamal Kishore lauded the disaster management expertise of Uttarakhand. He said many more states in the country need to learn from Uttarakhand when it comes to disaster management. He also assured all support to Uttarakhand on behalf of the NDMA.

Earlier, Uttarakhand disaster management secretary Amit Singh Negi welcomed the participants at the workshop. The two-day workshop will conclude tomorrow.