Visakhapatnam: AP home minister, who also holds the disaster management portfolio, on Monday announced the formation of State Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Management Authority which will tackle natural disasters. Revealing this during a presentation to the members of the World Bank’s Disasters Risk Management (India) India coastal mission team on SDMA and SDRF, the minister said that SDRF, comprising six companies with 600 personnel, will be drawn from APSP battalions on deputation basis with headquarters in the state capital region. The companies will be located in Vizag, Vizianagaram, Kakinada, Mangalagiri, Venkatagiri (Nellore) and Kurnool.
The SDRF shall be the first responder to handle Level-I and Level-II disasters. The government will procure search and rescue equipment, vehicles and other machinery at a cost of Rs 23.5 crore from APDRF project under World Bank Procurement Policies, he added.
Each company will comprise two independent teams to be headed by an assistant commandant and assisted by a reserve inspector. The assistant commandant would have an overall responsibility of the company. The companies will be under the overall administrative control of the home department.
The minister said that APSDMA responsibilities was to set the state disaster management policy and approve the state disaster management plan besides drawing guidelines to be followed by the departments. AP has a 974-km long coastline and is vulnerable to natural disasters.
