HYDERABAD, OCTOBER 15, 2024: Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari met with senior officials to discuss the proposals for establishing the Telangana State Disaster Response Force.
It may be recalled that in light of the recent floods and drowning incidents in the state, the Chief Minister has instructed the formation of the Telangana State Disaster Response force by utilizing 10 teams of the Fire Department and 10 companies of the Telangana Special Police Battalion, putting together a strong force of about 2000 men. The required budget has also been sanctioned.
Accordingly, a meeting was held on Tuesday, attended by DGP Jitender, Special Chief Secretary Disaster Management Arvind Kumar, and other senior officials.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary underlined the need for training the personnel so that they can be ready as soon as there is an alert during floods, fire mishaps and other such calamities. She said that the first batch training of personnel should begin from the first week of next month. The meeting also discussed the procurement of vehicles, rescue equipment, personal protective gear and other tools which are required for the rescue operations.
DG Fire Services Y Nagi Reddy informed that 10 teams of the Fire Department will be upgraded to SDRF stations by providing requisite equipment and training. Similarly, a total of 1000 personnel from TGSP Battalions (each company comprising 100 personnel) will be trained on par with Fire department personnel and will be stationed on standby in the respective locations during required seasons and emergencies. The services of NDRF will be utilized for training, he added.
