Govt will spend Rs 5 crore to strengthen city's disaster management apparatus

New Delhi: The Delhi government will invest over Rs 5 crore to strengthen the disaster management apparatus in the city by providing latest equipment and safety gear to quick response teams, Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot said on Friday.

"Under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, we are going to reimagine the disaster management practice in Delhi to make the city disaster-proof," he said.

The AAP-led government will provide Rs 5 crore to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) which was tasked with doing an in-depth study to improve the disaster management preparedness of the national capital.

The preliminary study by DDMA revealed that sometimes the necessary equipment to handle emergency situations is not available with the quick response teams (QRTs) of district disaster management authorities.

The QRTs, comprising civil defense volunteers (CDVs), provide 24-hour support to district disaster management authorities for carrying out immediate rescue operations during emergencies like fire and building

collapse.

Adequate equipment like rope ladder, searchlight, pickaxe, sledge hammer, spreader, battery, among others, will be provided to the QRTs in 11 districts. Five aluminum boats and 10 inflatable rescue boats will also be purchased for distribution to the five flood-prone districts of Delhi, an official statement said.

A batch of 50 CDVs will be trained for operating the boats and also as drivers in the flood-prone districts.

Heavy equipment like crane and forklifts, truck aerial lift, dumper, generator set with trolley, earth mover and recovery van beam, will be procured on rent basis through empanelled vendors, it added.