Preparedness Status of the State
a) A state level consultative meeting use to held during last week of April
before monsoon cyclone and monsoon period in order to strengthen institutionalize
DM preparedness and response under chairmanship of Chief Secretary in presence of
heads of the line departments working on disaster management, all District Magistrates,
IMD, defence, Para-military forces, Indian Railways, etc. Update of District Disaster
Management Plan and inclusion of all Line Departmental Contingency Plan in the State
Disaster Management Plan, reiterate the role of each Department, flood early warning
message dissemination, campaign for preparedness, cyclone early warning to the fisherman,
relief materials stock etc. are discussed in the meeting. Followed by State level
meeting, all the districts & Block Disaster Management Committee members would seat
together at their respective level to review their preparedness and response plan.
b) Most of the emergency service providers particularly Police, Fire and
Health have their own crisis management plan by which they manage emergency. Fire
and Civil Defence Department are being revamped for the past three years. Both the
departments of Fire & Emergency Services and Civil Defence have their respective
training Institute in the State and they regularly conduct capacity building programmes
for own staff members and volunteers, so that they can fight any emergency situation.
The Fire & Emergency Services Department have purchased many modern types of equipment,
including a sky lift, trauma care ambulance and are extending their number of support
services to set up new stations. 7 platoons each were established to act as State
Disaster Response Force by West Bengal Police. Kolkata Police also did the same.
Both are functioning in tandem with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). These
forces are also equipped with modern equipments and are trained by the NDRF. Department
of Health & Family Welfare have a strong contingency plan for flood / cyclone management
up to block level having make-shift infrastructure facilities, stock of essential
medicines, a tentative week-wise roster of doctors, nurses and MPHWs etc.
c) The State Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) is functioning at Nabanna fitted
with moderate state of the art communication equipments. All districts have established
district EOC having communication equipments with a little renovation of the existing
district administrative buildings. District level EOCs have been constructed at
Purulia and North 24 Parganas Collectorate. Thirteen more EOCs have been constructed
at the Sub-Divisional level in different districts under GOI – UNDP Disaster Risk
Reduction Programme.
d) An emergency toll free number 1077 at district level & 1070 at State level
have been activated. The State EOC is operational on 24 X 7 hrs. Department of Disaster
Management with the help of IT Department has developed SMS based Early Warning
System to alert all the mobile users of the State of the advent of any natural calamity.
This is being frequently used for other purposes too.
e) Recently Quick response team (QRT) comprising trained civil defence volunteers
and vehicles fitted with necessary equipments have been kept as standalone force
at District & Sub –divisional level to combat any sort of natural / manmade calamity.
f) Further, State Disaster Management Plan has been developed and updated
regularly for effective response at the time of crisis. District Disaster Management
Plans of all the districts have been prepared & regularly updated towards strengthening
response of disaster management. These are being revised to incorporate disaster
risk reduction including mitigation aspects of disaster management.
Details of search and rescue teams set up by the State Government and their deployment:
a) Status of Constitution of State Disaster Response Force:Seven Companies
from West Bengal SAP Battalion and three from Kolkata Police have been working as
State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). These companies of SAP Bns. are currently
located at Raiganj, Barrackpore, Krishnagar, Siliguri and Barjora. Three Company
strength of Disaster Management Group (DMG) of Kolkata Police has been operating
in Kolkata with full equipments. Both State and Kolkata Police Search and Rescue
teams have been equipped. Further fund is being provided for strengthening the teams
and equipping more teams. The following table depicts the features of SDRF and DMG,
Kolkata.
|
Date of Constitution
|
No. of Companies
|
No. of personnel
|
Location
|
Training Undergone
|
|
SDRF from West Bengal State Armed Police (SAP)
|
|
Police Order No. 16/2009 & 01/2013 dated 18.01.2013
|
07
|
Each company comprises 81 police personnel i.e. Total: 567
|
- 1. SAP 4th Bn. Kasba, Raiganj
- 2. SAP 6th Bns. Barrrackpore
- 3. SAP 8th Bn. Barrackpore
- 4. SAP 7th Bn. Asansol
- 5. SAP 7th Bn. Asansol
- 6. SAP 10th & 12th Bns. Siliguri
- 7. SAP 13th Bn. Barjora, Bankura
|
The detail is given in Annexure – I
|
|
Disaster Management Group under Kolkata Police
|
|
14.05.2002
|
- 1. Water Wing
- 2. CSSSR & MFR Wing
- 3. Tree Cutting Team
|
Inspector – 01, Subedar – 02, ASI – 03, Sepoy – 78, HG – 65, GP – 27
Total - 176
|
Police Training School (PTS) 247 AJC Bose Road, Kolkata - 7000278
|
The detail is given in Annexure – II
|
Annexture: I
|
List of following strength of Disaster Management Police personnel who are undergoing
training of various Disaster Management Courses
|
|
|
|
Unit
|
Training.
|
Place
|
Inspr.
|
SI
|
ASI
|
Const.
|
|
1st Squad
|
SAP 6th Bn &Barrackpore
|
CSSR &MFR
|
CSSR &MFR
|
01(SSF Bn.)
|
01(SSF Bn.)
|
01
|
29
|
|
|
SSF Bn., Barrackpore
|
Deep Diving
|
Sea Explorers Institute Outram Ghat,Kolkata
|
Nil.
|
Nil.
|
10
|
|
|
|
2nd Squad
|
SAP 8th Bn, Barrackpore
|
Deep diving (is running w.e.f. 25.11.13 to 04.01.14
|
Sea Explorers Institute Outram Ghat,Kolkata
|
Nil
|
Nil
|
Nil
|
20
|
|
CSSR(is running w.e.f 02.12.13 to 28.12.13)
|
2nd Bn. NDRF
|
Nil
|
1
|
2
|
20
|
|
NDRF MFR(is running w.e.f 02.12.13 to 28.12.13)
|
2nd Bn.
|
Nil
|
1
|
2
|
10
|
|
High Rise Building (is running w.e.f. 02.12.13 to 28.12.13)
|
2nd Bn. NDRF
|
Nil
|
Nil
|
2
|
10
|
|
3rd Squad
|
SAP 9th Bn, Sandhya, Krishnagar
|
CSSR
|
2nd Bn. NDRF
|
To be commenced on & from 02.01.14 to 31.01.14
|
|
MFR
|
2nd Bn. NDRF
|
|
High Rise Building
|
2nd Bn. NDRF
|
|
Deep Diving
|
Sea Explorers Institute Outram Ghat, Kolkata
|
Nil
|
Annexture: II
DMG Training
Disaster Management Group of Kolkata Police underwent the following trainings:
- 43 police personnel have undergone training twice from NDRF in regard to CSSR &
MFR.
- 43 police personnel have undergone training twice from NISA / FSTI twice in regard
to CSSR & MFR, Fire Fighting and Rope Rescue Operation.
- 15 police personnel have undergone training from NCDC, Nagpur in regard to Chemical
Disaster.
- 2 police personnel have undergone training from NIRD, Patna in regard to community
based Disaster Management
- 38 police personnel have undergone training from Indian Life Saving Society, Rabindra
Sarobar in regard to Life saving in water.
- 22 police personnel have undergone training from Sea Explorers Institute Subhas
Sarobar, Beliaghata in regard to Under Water Diving
- 38 police personnel have undergone training from Civil Defence, Government of West
Bengal in regard to Handling of Inflated Rubber Boat
- 42 police personnel have undergone training from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
(HMI) Darjeeling in regard to Rock Climbing.
- Training on Psychosocial Issues in Disaster Management at ATI, Saltlake
- Training Course on Incident Response System(Basic Intermediate)at ATI, Saltlake
Organization of Mock Drill:
Mock drills are very important for verifying the viability of the disaster management
plans prepared at all administrative levels. To test the implementabilty of disaster
management plan, the Department of Disaster Management organized many mock drills
in collaboration with National Disaster Response Force, the General Officer Commanding
Bengal Area, Fort William and Corporate houses. In addition, Kolkata Police along
with Public and private schools jointly conducted number of fire fighting drills
in Kolkata Municipal Areas. Few instances are given below:
Community Awareness and Mock Exercise and Preparedness programme by NDRF
|
Sr. No.
|
Location (District)
|
Proposed duration
|
Types of Exercise Search & Exercise (SAR)
|
|
01
|
Kalimpong (Dist: Darjeeling)
|
19 April – 03 May, 2012
|
SAR in Earthquake / Landslidek
|
|
02
|
Durgapur (Bardhaman)
|
02 – 16 May 2012
|
SAR in Chemical Hazard / flood
|
|
03
|
Dakshin Dinajpur and Maldah
|
25 July – 09 August, 2012
|
SAR in Cyclone / Flood
|
|
04
|
North 24 Parganas
|
30 August – 13 September, 2012
|
SAR in Flood
|
|
05
|
Gangasagar (Dist: South 24 Parganas )
|
15- 25 June 2012
09 – 13 Jan. 2013
|
SAR in Cyclone / Flood
|
|
06
|
Raignaj (Uttar Dinajpuur)
|
30 Jan – 13 Feb, 2013
|
30 Jan – 13 Feb, 2013
|
|
07
|
Alipurduar
|
24 Nov. – 08 Dec. 2012
|
SAR in Earthquake / Landslide
|
|
08
|
SAR in Earthquake / Landslide
|
20 -25 July 2012
|
SAR for Nuclear Biological and Chemical
|