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An important meeting of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) was organized on Monday regarding disaster management and security arrangements in the capital. The meeting was presided over by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu. Many senior officials including Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Minister Ashish Sood and Parvesh Verma were present in the meeting. During this, a detailed review was conducted of fire safety arrangements, illegal construction, heat wave action plan and preparations made for the upcoming monsoon in the capital. In the meeting, special emphasis was laid on effective compliance of fire safety standards in view of the fires and safety incidents that have occurred in recent times. Officials were instructed to identify sensitive areas and strengthen necessary security measures.

During the meeting, the Lieutenant Governor stressed on filling the existing vacancies to increase the capacity of the fire service. He suggested that the services of retired firefighters could be taken to fill the vacant posts in the department quickly. Apart from this, the Lieutenant Governor also directed the teams of officers formed last week to submit their Action Taken Report (ATR) in a time bound manner. He said that all the departments should submit their reports within the stipulated time, so that the progress of the works can be regularly reviewed and immediate action can be taken on the pending cases.

During the meeting, the ongoing campaign against illegal constructions in Delhi, misuse of licenses to fire safety and future disaster preparedness measures were thoroughly reviewed. The officials presented reports regarding the actions of various departments and the current situation. Officials said there is a need to make preparations more robust and effective to deal with any emergency. It was also made clear in the meeting that while taking action against illegal construction and violation of rules, special care should be taken to ensure that common citizens do not face unnecessary problems. Instructions were given to the administration that the action should be taken in a balanced, transparent and within the framework of rules.

LG’s suggestion regarding former firefighters

During the meeting, there is a need to strengthen the Human Resources (HR) of Delhi Fire Service to make it a more effective, faster and quick responding agency. In this context, the LG of Delhi suggested that the experience of former firefighters returning after getting trained in the army can be used in the fire service. He said that such youth have discipline, disaster management and ability to deal with emergency situations, which can be helpful in increasing the efficiency of the fire department.

Plan to increase the number of fire stations

Many important issues to fire safety and urban security of the capital were discussed in detail in the meeting. Emphasis was laid on the plan to increase the number of fire stations to increase the capacity of fire stations, so that the response time can be reduced in case of arson or any disaster. Besides, in the meeting, emphasis was also laid on strict compliance of fire safety rules, expansion of fire safety measures in multi-storey buildings and accountability of concerned officials. Officials were instructed that adherence to safety standards should not be a mere formality, but their strict implementation should be ensured at the actual level. Delhi LG expressed concern over increasing illegal construction, unauthorized plotting and misuse of fire safety licenses in the city.

monsoon preparedness review

In the meeting, a detailed review of summer- disaster management preparedness and the situation of the upcoming monsoon was also done. Officials said preparations are being strengthened to deal with rising temperatures, heatwaves and possible emergencies, while special focus has been placed on preventing situations like waterlogging and floods during the rainy season. LG directed that cleaning and de-silting of drains during monsoon should be implemented with full seriousness and in a time bound manner. He said that it is necessary to maintain the drainage system in advance, so that there is no waterlogging in the city during heavy rains. He also clarified that the administration’s policy should be “zero tolerance” regarding incidents like floods and waterlogging in the coming monsoon.

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