The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Seminar on `Disaster Management' tomorrow

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 16, 2006
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Seminar on `Disaster Management' tomorrow

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: India, on account of its geographical position, climate and geological setting, is the most affected place of disaster in the South Asian region.

Between 1980 and 1999, 1,10,131 Indians fell victim to disasters, and 27,000 more died of such incidents in the last seven years.

Seeking to prevent a repeat of such chilling statistics, the State Directorate of Home Guards, Civil Defence, Fire and Emergency Services has geared up to enhance community participation in disaster management.

To highlight the importance of disaster management and create mass awareness, the directorate has made big plans for the National Disaster Reduction Day, to be observed in Bangalore on Saturday.

Director General of Home Guards and Fire Services, Ajai Kumar Singh told presspersons here on Wednesday that a seminar on "Disaster Management" would be organised at Gurunanak Bhavan here on Friday, to be inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

Santhosh Kumar from National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi; Amith Kumar from the Pune-based Centre of Disaster Management and Latha Krishna Rao, Government Secretary for Disaster Management, will deliver lectures.

On Saturday, a rally would be held. The event would feature a demonstration on "Rescue Operations" by Home Guards and Fire and Emergency Services, besides a display by Civil Defence volunteers.

While booklets and pamphlets on the subject would be distributed among the public, a short documentary film produced by Maya Jaideep on Disaster Management and Civil Defence titled "Baravaseya Mumbelaku" would be telecast on Doordarshan at 8.30 a.m. on that day, he said. Twenty-eight new fire stations have been sanctioned across the State in the first phase of an expansion drive.

Fire stations

While seven of these have opened, six more are likely to be launched during the next year, according to Mr. Singh.

The new fire stations are in Muddhebihal, Bijapur; Kottur, Bellary; Lakshmeshwar, Gadag; Karatagi, Koppal; Shahapur, Gulbarga and Magadi.

While only fire force personnel were paid employees of the Government, Civil Defence and Home Guards were constituted mostly of volunteers, he added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section