Chidambaram's remark on Disaster Mission team clarified

New Delhi, July 21 (ANI): The Ministry of Home Affairs today sought to clarify Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram's statement made in reference to Cthe train accident on July 19, 2010 during a meet of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday morning.

The Union Home Minister, while addressing a meeting of the NDMA, this morning, referred to the time taken to despatch National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams for rescue and relief operations following the train accident on July 19, 2010.

"The first set of NDRF teams left at about 4.30 a.m. and the second set of NDRF teams left at about 6.00 a.m. Home Minister expressed a desire that ways must be found to respond more quickly in case of a disaster. In that context, he suggested that NDMA should examine whether it can use helicopters and small aircraft," a Ministry of Home Affairs official release clarified in the evening.

A private channel interpreted the Home Minister's statement as a criticism of the Ministry of Railways. (ANI)