No leave unless and until emergency

DAINIK NATION BUREAU

All the officers should remain at their stations and should not move out without permission. Nobody would be given official leave unless in an emergency. These instructions were given by Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh during video conferencing with District Magistrates held on Tuesday.

Chief Secretary sought information from District Magistrates on the preparedness regarding monsoon season. He also got information about availability of food grains, power, water, condition of roads and connectivity in the districts.

Chief Secretary instructed the District Magistrates to send the satellite phones and wireless sets provided to them to remote tehsils. He said that as a precautionary measure bailey bridges and trolleys should also be provided. The disaster Management centres should be run round the clock. Chief Secretary said that response time in case of any calamity should be minimized. Every department should be ready to deal with disaster.

The Pithoragarh District Magistrate informed that eight bridges were damaged. Instructions were issued that four folding bridges, two trolleys and two wooden bridges should be immediately provided to start transportation on damaged routes. The supply of power and water should be restored. The 438 JCBs with the PWD department should be placed at the places vulnerable to disasters. He said that satellite phones, wireless sets of SSB, ITBP, forest and police should be used where there is no connectivity.

Additional Chief Secretary Om Prakash said that to expedite the construction of roads and bridges, an additional executive engineer and superintending engineer have been posted at Pithoragarh. Two helicopters have also been pressed into service for those areas which have been cut off from road. The state plane is also being used to ferry relief material and safety equipment.

 Principal Secretary Anand Vardhan, Secretary, Disaster Management, Amit Negi, Secretary, Peyjal, Arvind Singh Hyanki, Secretary, Information, Dr. Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Commissioner Garhwal Shailesh Bagoli, IG SDRF Sanjay Gunjial and other officers were present during the video conference.