Delhi Govt proposes restructuring of DDMA on lines of NDMA

NEW DELHI: To effectively deal with disasters, the AAP government has proposed to restructure the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on the lines of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and have a team of full-time CEO, consultants, ‘exclusive’ response force and experts, an official said.

The revenue department has sent a proposal to Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot to restructure the DDMA chaired by the Lieutenant Governor.

According to DDMA’S website, the chief minister is the vice-chairman while the chief secretary is also the CEO. The DDMA currently comes under the revenue department headed by Gahlot.

As per the plan, DDMA, which does not have a permanent office building in the city, will have separate secretariat once the proposal gets the nod from the government. An official said that DDMA facing staff shortage needs more attention to effectively tackle disaster.

At present, DDMA focuses on immediate relief whenever there is a disaster, but there is also a need for prevention.

“Disaster management authorities in several states have commissioners, CEO, and teams of experts. The department has sent the file to the revenue minister,” the official said.

The official also said that DDMA will be restructured on the lines of National Disaster Management chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The official said that if the proposal is approved, the new DDMA will have a full-time CEO, eight consultants, and experts.

The official said that the department has also proposed to appoint the state’s exclusive disaster response team in every district of the national capital.

“In every district, there will be a division of DDMA, which will have a proper team to respond to any emergency. As per the plan, the role of civil defense volunteers in DDMA will also be redefined,” the official said.