Bihar: Trained volunteers to tackle natural disaster

Patna, Jun 15: The Bihar government has decided to raise 7000 trained volunteers in each of the 14 flood prone north Bihar districts soon bidding adieu to the traditional methods of tackling natural calamities.

State Secretary of disaster management department Manoj Srivastav said here today that raising a second line of trained manpower outside the government machineries had become the need of the hour to meet the challenges of natural disasters like flood, earth quake and drought.

''This year,we will have an additional 7000 trained volunteers fanning out to 50-60 villages in each of these districts,'' he said adding the number of such volunteers would be gradually increased as per their future requirements.

Unfolding the plan to meet such challenges,Mr Srivastav said 12,000 village level disaster management committees would be constituted in phases in these districts.Among the villages,priority would be given to those found to be more vulnerable to floods, he added.

''Highly trained personnel from the national disaster response force have already started training these volunteers for conducting search and rescue operations,'' he said.

Moreover,he said,180 most affected villages had been identified in each of the 14 flood prone districts where disaster management awareness camps will be held on priority basis.

UNI