The Pioneer 27.10.2010
A year on, NDMC yet to start Disaster Management CentreParvaiz Sultan | New Delhi
While the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) claims to “successfully” renovate Connaught Place and various stadiums ahead of the Games, it has failed to set up a much-required Disaster Management Centre (DMC) for New Delhi. In its 2010-11 Budget, the civic body has proposed to establish a full-fledged DMC near Khan Market, terming it as one of the major targets to be achieved before the Games. However, after missing Games deadline, the body is confident of structure in place and training of workforce is in progress, it will start functioning soon. A senior official of NDMC said the centre, equipped with latest gadgets to combat any kind of disaster in the city, will be made operation by 2011.
NDMC director (Public Relation) Anand Tiwari said the building has been completed and the centre will become operational soon. “As per the mandate of Disaster Management Act 2005, it was an obligatory to set up a DMC. The training of staff is being done. We have already purchased little equipment and soon we will procure more, he said.
The NDMC official also said that as part of the training programme, staff will be trained to handle equipment and first aid. “DMC will function as crackdown or response team. We are in process to procure more equipment to combat disaster situation like gas cutter, special pumps etc. A few of our employees have completed their training at National Civil Defence College, Nagpur, who has shown their skills earlier during fire safety week,” said Tiwari.
In February, the agency had announced a Disaster Management Centre near Khan Market with latest equipment. It also said that 50 firemen were trained in different skills from National Civil Defence College, Nagpur. It had also said that the communication network for any disaster situation will be upgraded by providing TETRA system, which has already been put in place.
The proposal to establish such a centre first came up in 2009, but the location was announced only in February 2010.
