Speaker reviews disaster management readiness for winter

A review meeting on disaster management preparations for the winter season was held at Chamba. The meeting presided over by Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania witnessed the participation of various administrative and departmental officials from the district. The agenda included reviewing preparations for potential disasters during winter and assessing measures to prevent risks associated with such events.

During the meeting, the Speaker directed the Chief Medical Officer of Chamba to ensure the availability of essential medicines and medical facilities at all health centres in the district during the winter. The Education Department was instructed to expedite the process of declaring unsafe school buildings and ensure regular reviews of such matters by the respective SDMs.

The Superintendent Engineer of the Jal Shakti Department was tasked with devising alternative water supply plans for areas affected by reduced rainfall this year and preparing a detailed project report for groundwater recharge and water conservation.

To address communication challenges during emergencies, telecom representatives were directed to maintain a 2-3 day power backup for mobile towers to ensure uninterrupted services in case of grid failures. Similarly, health and emergency service facilities were instructed to maintain additional power backups to ensure uninterrupted operations during crises.

The Speaker also instructed all SDMs to convene subdivision-level review meetings with their respective teams to assess and enhance disaster management preparedness before the winter. Additionally, the Fire Department was directed to conduct fire audits of sensitive buildings and ensure the availability of essential firefighting equipment at such sites.

The meeting also discussed preparedness and responsibilities related to public works, electricity, transport, agriculture, horticulture, police and information & public relations departments.

In addition to this, the Speaker reviewed the district’s performance concerning the Good Governance Index. Detailed discussions were held with departmental representatives on several critical points, with important directions issued to ensure improved performance.

Before the meeting, Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal formally welcomed the Speaker and provided a brief overview of the meeting’s purpose and significance. He expressed gratitude to the Speaker for dedicating his valuable time to the review session.

The meeting was attended by local MLA Neeraj Nayyar, Chamba Municipal Council Chairperson Neelam Nayar, ADM Amit Mehra, Additional Superintendent of Police Shivani Mahela, SDMs Priyanshu Khati (Chamba), Anil Bhardwaj (Dalhousie), Paras Agarwal (Bhattiyat), Naveen Kumar (Salooni), Ankur Thakur (Tissa), AC to DC PP Singh, and senior officials from the Public Works, Jal Shakti, Education, and Electricity Departments.