Shimla: A review meeting was presided over by Chief Secretary Kamlesh Kumar Pant here today to discuss preparations for the upcoming monsoon season with the district administrations and other stakeholder departments.
While prioritizing strengthening the state’s monsoon preparedness to minimize losses from rain-related disasters, the Chief Secretary said that the government has focused on inter-departmental coordination, early warning systems, flood control and emergency response mechanisms.
He directed for stocking up adequate food grains, ration and emergency fuel in remote or highly vulnerable areas and asked dam authorities to strictly adhere to warning protocols and provide prior notification to local populations before releasing excess water.
The state is emphasizing rapid response measures, with the Revenue and Disaster Management Department continuously monitoring the changing weather patterns and coordinating relief operations.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) gave a presentation on the monsoon forecast, previous weather trends and the warning systems, while the Central Water Commission shared information on flood forecasting and early warning systems.
The representatives of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) gave detailed presentations about their readiness for monsoon and available equipments. The representatives of various stakeholder departments like HPPWD, Jal Shakti Vibhag, Home Guards, Civil Defence and Fire Services also briefed about the monsoon preparedness of their respective departments.
Earlier, Dr. Pushpender Rana, Director and Special Secretary (Revenue and Disaster), gave a detailed report on the steps already taken for monsoon preparedness in the State.
The senior officers, including Secretaries and Heads of various departments and officials from health, police, HPSEB, agriculture, horticulture, forest, animal husbandry, food and civil supplies, police and transport attended the meeting.
