Hyderabad, May 18 (RAHNUMA): Minister for Revenue, Housing and Information & Public Relations Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy stated that the government’s primary objective is to protect human lives and minimise damage to property during natural disasters.
The Minister said that, under the guidance of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, the state government is strengthening the disaster response system with world-class technology.
As part of the state-wide Disaster Management Mock Exercises, Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Monday inaugurated the mock drill conducted at the HMDA Grounds, Necklace Road, Hyderabad. Later, he held a review meeting on disaster management with senior officials of various departments at the Command and Control Centre.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said Telangana would further strengthen its disaster management system in line with the best practices being implemented in various states across the country.
He directed officials to immediately examine the best technologies and advanced equipment available globally for effectively handling natural disasters and fire accidents, and submit a comprehensive report along with proposals. The Minister said the experience gained through these mock drills being conducted with the support of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) would help officials deliver more responsible and efficient services during disasters. He observed that rapid response, inter-departmental coordination and advance preparedness are extremely vital during emergencies such as floods, fire accidents and industrial disasters.
The Minister stated that the first hour after a natural disaster is extremely critical and should be treated as the “Golden Hour”. He instructed that all personnel should work in complete coordination during that period and effectively utilise the available advanced equipment to provide immediate services to the public. He called upon all systems to respond promptly during fires and floods so as to minimise loss of life and property.
Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy further clarified that once a distress call is received, it is the responsibility of officials to reach the right location without any delay and provide timely medical and rescue services to affected people.
He said such mock drills are highly useful for evacuating people to safer locations, carrying out swift rescue operations and coordinating emergency services during floods, fire accidents and sudden disasters.
The Minister stressed that advanced technology, modern equipment and trained rescue teams must always remain alert and prepared to protect public lives. He expressed concern that forest fires are destroying greenery, while increasing fire accidents in urban areas are causing serious concern. He stated that Telangana is developing one of the best disaster management systems by studying international rescue practices adopted during disasters across the world.
As part of the mock drill, specialised teams demonstrated rescue operations including inflatable life boats, advanced techniques for rescuing people stranded in water, emergency evacuation measures and coordinated rescue operations. Later, the Minister visited the Necklace Road Boating Club and personally inspected the rescue activities there.
