BY A GT REPORTER
MARGAO: In a bid to rope in the student community into the ambit of its disaster management programme, the South Goa district administration yesterday interacted with heads of educational institutions to familiarise them with the plan.
The meeting that was held in the 'Ministers' Chamber' in the South Goa Collectorate attended by educationists from 10 different colleges was chaired by the South Goa Collector G P Naik who briefed them about the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and related matters in view of its ambitious mission of making the district 'disaster-free' by 2010.
As an effort to preparing an exhaustive database about disaster management and how to deal with the situation, the meet mainly dealt with a familiarisation mock exercise that sought to provide training to the officials, NGOS and college students to handle calamities at their respective levels.
"It is essential that the citizen is made aware of how to deal with the situation instead of waiting for the relief team to reach the site," Naik said. The district magistrate also briefed the educationists about the various steps undertaken by the administration and the South Goa District Disaster Management Authority (SGDDMA) that have formed seven groups for floods, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, transportation accidents and epidemics.
Naik also emphasised upon the role to be played by the NSS/NCC/Scouts and Guides who would be provided proper training through camps, awareness drives and campaigns.
And sought the assistance of NGOs in order to be alert to face calamities through data collection, identification of roads and canals with the guidance of the respective departments, traffic management in emergency, rescue operations and restoration of normalcy at times of calamities.
The meet also included the nomination of a nodal officer from every institution for the cause, a road map for the furtherance of aims and objectives and assistance from all institutions such as in which manner, when - schedules, kinds of activities - finalisation and scheduling of review meetings.
