Chief Minister, Prem Singh Tamang attended the Second Regional Conclave of State Disaster Management Authority at hotel Lemon Tree, today, October 14. The meeting also had the presence of the Minister, GOS, K.N Lepcha, Member Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Kamal Kishore, Member NDMA, Rajender Singh, Vice-Chairman, SSDMA, Prof. V.K Sharma, Chief Secretary Govt of Sikkim, VB Pathak, DGP Sikkim A. Sudhakar Rao, Executive Director NIDM, ACS Land Revenue Department Govt. of Manipur, Principal Secretary Land Revenue Department, Govt. of West Bengal, Principal Secretaries of various states, Joint Secretaries from NDMA, MHA, and Ministry of DONER, Relief Commissioner cum Secretary Anil Raj Rai and officials of Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Government of Sikkim, dignitaries and officials from the central and State Governments.
Chief Minister, in his address expressed his gratitude to all the dignitaries who have come from different parts of the country representing various states, departments, establishments, associations, and organizations to the Himalayan State Sikkim. He said the State Government is continuously working together with all the Himalayan States and other stakeholders to establish a new Disaster Risk reduction framework for the regions. He mentioned, the loss of forest cover weakens nature’s ability to withstand extreme weather events and all should collectively work to strengthen and protect the ecosystems and invest more in environmental and climate resilience. He informed that the Sikkim government has taken necessary steps to protect the environment by implementing various environment-friendly policies.
The mountain states have their perils and hazards which vary from the plains and landslide is a perennial phenomenon affecting the people and livelihoods, transport and communication, and other sectors, he addedIn his address, he informed that every year the state incurs huge losses due to landslides, although the state government reacts immediately in such instances.
Further, he also thanked the NDMA and MHA officials for being prompt and have been responsive in all instances, yet it may be pertinent to have a separate set of items and norms for the hilly mountainous states considering the peculiar features and the fragile landscape. The CM informed, there are numerous areas in all the six districts of the State which are vulnerable to major slips, which include- Shipgyer village in Mangan district, Chandmari, Tamang Gumpa, Tibetan Jhora, Lumsay, and Manbir Colony in Gangtok district, Bojek and Sisney in Soreng district, Sakyong in Geyzing district and Dambu Dara in Namchi district to name a few, which require immediate intervention and mitigation to save lives and properties.
He expressed his gratitude to the Central Government and said that under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi there has always been a helping hand and firm patronage to the state in several difficult situations.
The CM in his speech appreciated and lauded the efforts and dedication of the Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department for successfully hosting the significant meeting with a profound outcome. The Minister, Land Revenue and Disaster Management, Kunga Nima in his speech welcomed all the participants and dignitaries. The Minister also thanked the Chief Minister for his constant support and vision toward environmental preservation and protection.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Central Government for its constant support and guidance to the state. He said that Disaster is a severe climate and ecosystem destruction that destroys the beauty and natural vegetation of a region. It can be either man-made or natural and the number of disasters is rising very quickly.The Minister mentioned, certain dynamic steps should be taken to monitor the situation before the disaster worsens the nature and lives of the people. He requested everyone to come out of their comfort zone and join hands with the Government to help protect and preserve the environment to avoid natural calamities.
Earlier the Executive Vice Chairman, of Sikkim SDMA, Prof V.K Sharma in his brief address highlighted the importance of disaster management and how Sikkim is progressing to prevent it.Member and Secretary (I/C), NDMA, Kamal Kishore in his keynote address talked about the mitigation of natural disasters. He said most of the calamities are taking place due to negligence.
The calamities have affected the livelihoods of the people and to curb tragic disasters the state should follow Sustainable Development goals. All social infrastructure like Schools, Hospitals, Office and upcoming infrastructure should be built with earthquake resistance and landslide protection.He also talked about community alignments and said that it is very necessary to be connected with the community for the functioning of early warning systems which helps to take adaptive measures for climate change, using integrated communication systems to help communities to prepare for hazardous calamities.
The speaker also stressed the importance of Earthquake Clinics where the concerned authorities will train people about the significance of Earthquake Resistant Construction. He also expressed his happiness over the initiative taken by Sikkim Government to make the state plastic free and continuously putting its efforts into organic production On his end note, he lauded the State Government and the people of the state for continuously working hand in hand to protect and preserve the environment.
He also assured to give his best action in the mitigation process to Sikkim and other regions. In the midst, the Chief Minister handed the Draft Report of Lumsey Landslide to the officials of NDMA/MHA. The first phase of the meeting concluded with the words of thanks presented by the Deputy Secretary (PP), NDMA, Rakhee Sadhu.
via IPR, GOS
