SDRF to play major role in flood relief ops this monsoon

LUCKNOW: Newly-raised companies of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are all set to play a major role in flood relief and rescue operations across different districts of Uttar Pradesh this monsoon. The three companies that comprise the group of 280 SDRF personnel have completed their initial training and will be deployed for relief and rescue operation.

The raising of SDRF on the lines of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was initiated after the formation of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) government in March, 2017.

Inspector general (IG) of police of PAC headquarters, A Satish Ganesh said three companies have completed their initial training conducted under the supervision of experts from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). He said these companies will be pressed in for flood relief and rescue operations during the monsoon season in different districts, mainly from eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Ganesh said the three companies are presently operational from the premises of 32 and 35 battalions of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC). He said a separate premises of SDRF first battalion, including six companies, is coming up on 60 acre of land in Bijnore on the city outskirts.

He further said that the construction work for SDRF office and residential quarters is already underway and it is likely to be made functional in 10 months.

Earlier, the PAC companies were deployed for relief in rescue operations in case disasters like flood, bridge and building collapse. NDRF’s help was sought in case of some severe disasters as in the case of the NTPC boiler blast in Ucchahar, Rae Bareli on November 1, 2017. The incident had claimed at least 38 deaths and over 100 people were severely injured.