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Pointing out that the institutions set up as per the Disaster Management Act have a sloppy and shoddy functioning, city-based NGO Prayas expressed fear that the Act and agencies for the disaster management likely to remain on paper even as the severe drought is knocking the doors.
"The Disaster Management Act was passed by the union government two and a half years ago followed by the establishment of State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in the state. However, the review indicates that agencies are in sorry state when they were expected to provide comprehensive, permanent and separate machinery for effective management of disasters," Sachin Warghade of Resources and Livelihoods Group, PRAYAS, said in a press conference. He said the main focus of the SDMA has been limited to Mumbai and the concerns of citizens from other parts of the state are not being addressed.
As per the Act, the SDMA has to submit its annual report, Warghade said adding the authority has failed to submit even one report. He said that it was necessary that the ignorance, apathy and efficiency should be dealt urgently and the SDMA led by chief minister should get their act together as it has conducted only three meetings till December since its inception in May 2006.
The Act requires that all government departments at the district level and local authorities prepare their own disaster management plans with the responsibility with the DDMA, the NGO said only nine of the 16 districts for which the information was furnished to them claimed that their disaster management plans were ready, but only five of them could furnish the list of departments for which the plans were ready. Moreover, not a single district could furnish the information on the plans on the local authorities that are based on the guidelines of the DDMA. "The failure to furnish the guidelines by any of the DDMA puts a question mark on the claims about the preparation of such plans," Warghade said.
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