Chief Minister M.K. Stalin chaired a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) at the Secretariat on Monday to review inter-departmental coordination between government agencies to face possible disasters.
An official release said Mr. Stalin instructed authorities to employ all available techniques to reduce the loss of human and other lives and loss and damage to property during disasters. Tamil Nadu should be made an expert in managing any disaster, he said.
“In the recent times, disasters have not been natural. Humankind has had to take responsibility for them. The change in climatic conditions has not been normal. We should understand the change,” an official release quoted Mr. Stalin as saying during the meeting.
Officials should take steps to prevent disasters, Mr. Stalin said. Recalling the Governor’s announcement in the Assembly on setting up of an expert panel to prevent flooding in Chennai, he advised officials in this regard.
As Cuddalore was flood prone too, he instructed officials to take precautions against flooding in the district.
The urban poor and farmers in rural areas are the worst affected during disasters, he said, instructing officials to ensure their safety and compensate them for their loss.
Volunteers and NGOs in the respective areas can be roped in for disaster management, he said, encouraging officials to impart necessary training to them in this regard through a special scheme.
Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu and Commissioner of Revenue Administration K. Phanindra Reddy also made presentations during the meeting.
Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, DGP C. Sylendra Babu, Finance Secretary S. Krishnan, Home Secretary S.K. Prabakar, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, Revenue Secretary Kumar Jayant, School Education Secretary Kakarla Usha, Higher Education Secretary D. Karthikeyan, Director-disaster management D. Subbaiyan, Director of Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management at Anna University K. Palanivelu, and HoD of civil engineering at IIT-M Manu Santhanam took part.
