AGARTALA, March 17 (TIWN): At the initiative of West District Disaster Management Authority, a district level annual mock exercise at 7 different locations of Sadar, Jirania and Mohanpur Subdivision would held on next March 18.

Couple of national agencies and bodies like National Disaster Response Force, Assam Rifles,GAIL,NEEPCO,CRPF,BSF and ONGC would take active participation in the exercise.

An artificial scenario, which will depict a 7.2 richter scale earthquake , would encompass areas like Ram Thakur College,SIPARD,SDM office Jirania and Ranir Bazar area among others.

Informing the aforesaid series of events  in a press meet held today the DM  of West has sought active participation of all the concerned section and a mass awareness so that people and rescue teams can remain well prepared to thwart any exingency.

To substantiate the drill as a real life calamity the DM(West) office has deployed 625 man power, 56 rescue vehicles, 18 ambulances and 40 wireless sets.Besides, UK academy school and DCM office of Mohanpur and Jirania will act as the places where all resource shall be assembled after getting call from the concerned authority and wherefrom resource shall be mobilised to the spot of incident.

Moreover, triage and treatment of casualty on the spot  and in hospital would be done by the doctors and paramedics.

“Since the North East is vulnerable to earthquakes, the Centre should take special care to ensure capacity building in all the States of the region. Showcasing equipments for disaster management will not help and there must be demonstration at the ground level” he said.

Calling upon for preparedness, both physical and mental in disaster mitigation, Mr. Singh further said that there must be efforts to raise master trainers because equipment will prove futile if persons could not use sophisticated equipment. In the mock drill, District Magistrate, SDM, SP West and other officials will also be present at the mock drill.

In this regard it should be noted that such an exhaustive and large scale earthquake mock drill the city Agartala has not witnessed in recent past or ever. Thanks to the office of DM(West) for initiating such a much wanted deed. The entire sequence of operation would kick off at 11:30 am.