Civil, Military Coop can hasten development in capital:LG

New Delhi, May 22 (UNI) With a spirit of cooperation and sensitivity for each other, civil and military administrations can speed up the path of progress to achieve the national goal of development, as it is a time for convergence of thinking for which a great symphony is required, Delhi Lt Governor Tejender Khanna has said.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the Civil-Military Liaison Conference-2008 held at Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre, Delhi Area, the Lt Governor said the safety of Delhi is prime as the National Capital, the hub of national government business, thus multiplying many-fold the implications of a major disaster.

''It is always a sensitive place as whatever happens in any part of the country has its aftereffect in the capital,''the LG said.

In view of heightened security threats, the army can help the police with their input and intelligence, Mr Khanna said.

'He said even as citizens of the capital, Army men can play a vital role.

''If they see or observe any activities of person or persons arousing suspicion, they can immediately pass on such information to police as extra alertness is a must. With such an active citizen cooperation security agencies can perform better,''Mr Khanna said.

Noting that the Army has always played a positive role in any kind of disaster be it a fire, flood, earthquake and building collapses or any other emergency in the capital, Mr Khanna said there is a lot of scope of cooperation between civil administration and army as Disaster Management has become a major area of concern for the government.

He said there could be an active line of communication between the Area Commander and the Delhi Disaster Management Centre. The Divisional Commissioner as the head of the nodal department for disaster management in Delhi is the Convener of the DDMA Secretariat.

The Lieutenant-Governor said the Army could support the state government in conserving the traditional local water bodies in the Cantonment Area, which in turn will be helpful in recharging the water table of the capital. They can also extend their technical expertise in energy conservation, particularly in case of solar energy, and up keeping of public parks and to develop each park as a separate centre of particular fauna and flora in the capital. He said the Army can further extend ideas and suggestions to Traffic Management Centre, manned by the Delhi Police to intelligently manage the traffic, for betterment of the traffic of the capital as already uniformed officers are working as traffic wardens to create a smooth traffic environment on the roads.

Others present on the occasion were the Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta, Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadhwal, DDA Vice-Chairman, Delhi Jal Board Chief Executive Officer, Principal Secretaries of the Delhi Government, and GOC-in-C Western Command and GOC Delhi Area.

UNI AR SB DB2029