This meeting was attended by Land Revenue Minister DN Thakarpa, who is also the SDMA vice chairman, Prof. VK Sharma, Executive Vice Chairman, R. Ongmu, Chief Secretary, the SDMA Chief Executive Officer MG Kiran, Principal Secretary, Home & Finance Department, MB Gurung, PCE cum Secretary, Buildings & Housing Department and KS Tobgay Secretary cum Relief Commissioner, Land Revenue and Disaster Management department amongst others.
Prof Sharma, in his presentation, stressed on the formation of Emergency Operation Centers that could operate as control rooms for disaster management. These, he stressed were required for a state like Sikkim seeing its history of disasters. He also emphasized on the importance of Disaster Management Programmes starting from the block level plans and moving up to, village level, District level and state level.
The Chief Secretary requested Prof. Sharma to give SOP for schools to include disaster management in school textbooks. She also directed the SSDMA to make a comprehensive disaster management plan as suggested by Prof Sharma in his presentation.
Mr. Thakarpa spoke on the formation of the Himalayan Institute of Disaster Management and Climate Change (HDMI) in collaboration with Kyoto University, Japan which will be a resource center and is a dream for the State and other Himalayan states. He also gave assurance that the Government hospitals are ready to deal with disasters.
