Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) in coordination and support of NDMA conducted a mock drill on the earthquake scenario at 10.30 am at different locations in four districts of the State today.
The mock drill was conducted successfully under the supervision of Minister for Land Revenue & Disaster Management, Kunga Nima Lepcha along with the State Chief Secretary, S.C. Gupta, Principal Secretary Home Department, R. Telang, and Secretary Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department cum State Relief Commissioner, Sarala Rai, who were present in the control room, SSDMA at Tashiling Secretariat complex.
The entire exercise was monitored and overseen by Lt. General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), Member, National Disaster Management Authority along with officials from NDMA.
The mock exercise began with the briefing by Member, NDMA, Lt. General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd) at the State control room, in the presence of Relief Commissioner, Sarala Rai, and senior officers of the State Government and concerned agencies. The briefing session was joined virtually by all the District Collectors.
As the day progressed, the Member, NDMA, along with senior officers of the NDMA and the State Government visited the locations where the mock drill was being performed.
At the end of the mock drill, a debriefing session was held at the State Control Room which was chaired by the Member, NDMA. A brief report of the relief exercise was made by State Relief Commissioner, while the report of rescue and relief operations in the districts was made by the respective District Collectors.
During the debriefing session, the Observers designated in each district presented their observations with regard to the mock drill and the relief and rescue operations conducted under the leadership of the District Collectors.
After the debriefing session, a media briefing of the mock drill at the State and district level was made by Director, IPR Department, Benu Gurung.
The basic objective of the mock drill was to review the emergency preparedness plan of the respective allied departments and evaluate the quality of standard operating procedure, involving all the stakeholders so that concerned persons would deliver their duties effectively, thereby ensuring safety of life and property.
It was also to inculcate a culture of preparedness among the community and first responders in the face of disaster and to facilitate the State Government in reviewing the adequacy and efficacy of the disaster management plans of the State and to identify gaps in resources communications and systems.
The newly created two districts viz Pakyong and Soreng, in their infancy, are in the process of constituting the DDMA, and therefore the mock drill was not conducted in these two districts.