Disaster management review meet: CM Eknath Shinde directs structural audit of ‘dangerous’ buildings

“All the municipal corporations of the state should get a structural audit of dangerous buildings done by good engineering institutes. Reports of housing societies should not be relied upon. This will prevent loss of life in the future. Once residents vacate the dangerous buildings, accommodation of displaced families should also be taken care of,” said Shinde during the meeting.

The Chief Minister also directed officials to carry out a digital mapping of disaster-prone areas and use modern technology for response and rescue operations.

Shinde said that during this period, all officials should keep their phones on around the clock. The officials of all the agencies, from district or division to state level, should maintain good communication and coordination, he stressed.

Given the increase in the number of natural disasters, Shinde issued instructions that State Disaster Response Team should be appointed for each division and municipal corporations should also set up teams for immediate rescue work at their level in the face of an emergency.

“NDRF personnel cannot reach every place in the state in time…so action should be taken to appoint state disaster response teams in all the seven divisions in the state,” said Shinde in the meeting as per the statement released by the Chief’s Minister’s Office.

He also said the Railways and the Brinhanmumbai Municipal Corporation should coordinate among themselves if any emergency situation arises during the monsoon season.

Representatives from the Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Railways and other bodies made presentations on their monsoon preparedness. Officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force also attended the meeting.

Stating that there is proper coordination between the Railways and the BMC, municipal commissioner Dr. IS Chahal said the situation in Mumbai is being monitored through 6,400 cameras from the control room of the municipal corporation.

A schedule of 56 days of high-tide during monsoon (from June 15 to October 15) has been chalked out so that authorities are prepared in advance if any emergency situation arises.

To avoid flood-like situations in Western Maharashtra and Vidarbha, the chief minister asked the irrigation department to be on alert from the beginning of the monsoon season. They should maintain better coordination with the authorities of Alampatti dam in Karnataka, Sanjay Sarovar in Madhya Pradesh and Medigatti in Telangana, he added. — With PTI inputs