Cyclone shelters: Initiative to upgrade infrastructure of schools in coastal areas

Kolkata: The state government has taken initiative to upgrade the infrastructure of existing schools in coastal areas so that the same can act as cyclone shelters at the time of natural disaster.

The state Disaster Management and Civil Defence department has written to the School Education department to help in identifying such schools in East Midnapore, North and South 24-Parganas. The schools have to be located within 10 kms of the coast line.

This comes when lives of lakhs of people were affected due to the super cyclone Amphan in these districts. The district authorities along with the police had evacuated 3 lakh people to safe places before the cyclone had hit the state at an average speed of 145 km per hour. It had averted major loss of life due to the cyclone.

The decision has been taken considering that the existence of such infrastructure will help in providing shelter to more people at the time of any natural disaster.

In the past nine years, the state government has set up several safe homes in vulnerable areas including Sagar in South 24-Parganas.

It has been mentioned in the letter of the state Disaster Management and Civil Defence department that "the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project authorities have mentioned that 292 schools in coastal areas can be strengthened in infrastructure to combat the threat of cyclone and act as cyclone shelters. The schools should be located within 10 kms of the coast line..."

The copy of the letter was also sent to district magistrates of the three districts to ensure fast identification of schools at the earliest so that the subsequent tasks in this connection can be taken up without any delay.