Revenue Minister R. B. Udayakumar said the State government has been working to train the public in disaster-prone areas and establishing effective warning signals in coastal areas to reduce fatalities.
Addressing National Cadet Corps at the Madurai Kamaraj University, he said that they would be kick-starting an effective disaster management skill development training programme for 1,500 students so that they could take the message to the people.
A total of 80 NCC officials attended the programme and trained students. They undertook drills conducted by the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue departments. They also observed mock drills conducted in case of biological, meteorological and hydrological disasters.
“The State government has included effective responses in cases of disasters in textbooks of school students. We have built 14,347 all-weather homes at a cost of ₹310 crore. As part of the Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project, which has been funded by the World Bank, we have created protection centres in coastal areas and installed effective warning systems in places like Velankanni and Cuddalore. The government has taken steps to have underground electrical wiring in disaster prone areas,” he said.
To educate more public, the Revenue Minister urged students to help train people in rural areas to effectively communicate on ways to handle a disaster in a calm and composed manner.
He added that such large-scale conferences had begun in Chennai and Tiruchi and will be held in Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram too.
‘Disaster management meetings will be held in all other districts too,’ he said.
Cooperation Minister Sellur K. Raju said that the State government has the best ability to effectively manage disasters.
Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, Atulya Mishra too elaborated on the point and said that the State was a role model in effectively tackling disasters.
Commissioner of Revenue Administration J. Radhakrishnan recounted the government’s handling of cyclones like Ockhi, Gaja, Vardha and Thane.
Collector T. G. Vinay and Commissioner of Police S. Davidson Devasirvatham attended the event.