A table top exercise for Mega Mock Exercise on earthquake was held today for the preparation of State level mock exercise to be held on 11th July involving state and all districts of Himachal Pradesh.Principal Secretary Revenue-Disaster Management Onkar Sharma said that it would be an exercise to prepare and check Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to meet out various exigencies during disaster. He said that preparedness and response in case of disaster need to be properly coordinated and entire exercise should be drilled up to the lowest level. He said that this mock exercise would help in knowing the efficacy of Incident Response Plan of State Disaster Management (SDMP), DDMP and Departmental DMPs at respective level.He said that Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) would be established at H.P. Secretariat for State level and at district headquarters for the concerned districts would be headed by respective Deputy Commissioners. He said that it would be fifth mega mock earthquake exercise to be carried out in the State. He said that Himachal Pradesh was highly sensitive to earthquake as it falls in Zone IV & V.
Senior consultant, NDMA, Major General (Retd.) Dr. V.K. Naik conducted the table top exercise through Video Conference from H.P. Secretariat in which senior officers of NDRF, Army, Air force, ITBP and State Government participated. All Deputy Commissioners and senior district level officers also participated. He gave a detailed presentation of conducting mock drill.Director cum Special Secretary Revenue and Disaster Management D.C. Rana said that hypothetical earthquake scenario would be created in which it will be presumed that an earthquake of 8 magnitude on Richter Scale has occurred with its epicenter at Sundernagar at Mandi and all Districts of the state have been affected severely. He said that the trigger for the hypothetical earthquake will be announced by the SDMA on Thursday morning to all the DDMAs.He said that this exercise would be done in co-ordination with NDMA, Army and Para Military forces personnel which would help in finding the short comings in preparedness and its mitigation.