INSIDE VIEW: Rafik Shaikh, a visitor to the disaster management exhibition, is fascinated by the controls inside a BMP - an armoured personnel carrier. The exhibition will conclude on TuesdayPhoto Gallery>>
PUNE: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has allocated an estimated Rs 600 crore for training engineers, architects and masons to craft earthquake resistant structures under its ambitious National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project (NERMP) from the next fiscal period, revealed NDMA member K M Singh.
Interacting with the media on the sidelines of a disaster management exhibition organised by University of Pune (UoP) here on Monday, he said, “Despite having a vast pool of engineers and architects, the country lacks professionals with knowledge to construct earthquake resistant buildings.
Hence, under NERMP, the NDMA will spend the sanctioned amount beginning from the 12th plan to prepare professionals who are already associated with the construction industry.”
As per NDMA initiatives, engineering and architecture institutes across the country from last year have incorporated compulsory modules on earthquake mitigation techniques. Besides, NDMA expects that the remaining institutes will incorporate the new modules gradually and in a phase-wise manner, he added.
Shifting focus to the rural heartland, Singh emphasised that 70 to 75 per cent of the population resides in towns and villages with local masons being the point person behind these structures.
Thus, five-day focused training will be imparted to masons at block level on a national scale with adequate compensation and a certificate, which will qualify them for future government contracts.
Singh highlighted that past experiences of handling natural and man-made calamities had revealed a ‘relief centric’ approach of paying compensation, which served no purpose. Hence, efforts should be made to inculcate people with preventive, mitigation, preparatory and capacity building techniques to increase coping ability of the population in the first stage itself.
Citing examples of internal threats like terrorism and natural disasters such as frequent floods, he said in the last 20 years, these threats have increased several fold in the country and mainly incidents of perennial flooding in the last 10 years.
As an outcome, the ‘National Vision’ statement of the government stresses on to change the mindset and increase capacity building of the population through spreading public awareness.
Singh, along with UoP Vice Chancellor Narendra Jadhav visited the exhibition stalls put up by NGOs, organisations, fire department, Army and other government bodies on their efforts in mitigating national disasters.
Interacting with the media on the sidelines of a disaster management exhibition organised by University of Pune (UoP) here on Monday, he said, “Despite having a vast pool of engineers and architects, the country lacks professionals with knowledge to construct earthquake resistant buildings.
Hence, under NERMP, the NDMA will spend the sanctioned amount beginning from the 12th plan to prepare professionals who are already associated with the construction industry.”
As per NDMA initiatives, engineering and architecture institutes across the country from last year have incorporated compulsory modules on earthquake mitigation techniques. Besides, NDMA expects that the remaining institutes will incorporate the new modules gradually and in a phase-wise manner, he added.
Shifting focus to the rural heartland, Singh emphasised that 70 to 75 per cent of the population resides in towns and villages with local masons being the point person behind these structures.
Thus, five-day focused training will be imparted to masons at block level on a national scale with adequate compensation and a certificate, which will qualify them for future government contracts.
Singh highlighted that past experiences of handling natural and man-made calamities had revealed a ‘relief centric’ approach of paying compensation, which served no purpose. Hence, efforts should be made to inculcate people with preventive, mitigation, preparatory and capacity building techniques to increase coping ability of the population in the first stage itself.
Citing examples of internal threats like terrorism and natural disasters such as frequent floods, he said in the last 20 years, these threats have increased several fold in the country and mainly incidents of perennial flooding in the last 10 years.
As an outcome, the ‘National Vision’ statement of the government stresses on to change the mindset and increase capacity building of the population through spreading public awareness.
Singh, along with UoP Vice Chancellor Narendra Jadhav visited the exhibition stalls put up by NGOs, organisations, fire department, Army and other government bodies on their efforts in mitigating national disasters.