A table top exercise for Mega Mock Exercise on earthquake was held today for the State level mock exercise to be held on 8th February, 2018 in all the twelve districts of Himachal Pradesh.Chief Secretary Shri Vineet Chawdhry said that mock exercise is a serious exercise to prepare and check Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to meet out various exigencies during disaster. He said that SOPs was must for managing disasters. He said that preparedness and response in case of disaster need to be properly coordinated and entire exercise should be drilled to the lowest level. He said that this mock exercise would help in knowing the efficacy of Incident Response Plan of State Disaster Management Plan (SDMP), DDMP and Departmental DMPs at respective level.Shri Chawdhry said that Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) would be established at H.P. Secretariat under his supervision for State level and at district headquarters for the concerned districts which would be headed by respective Deputy Commissioners. He said that mock drill would be conducted under the guidance of consultants and observers of NDMA, Army, ITBP and SSB. He said that this exercise would help in drawing an effective disaster and IRS plan and know the short comings.
Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Shri Onkar Sharma said that it would be fourth mega mock earthquake exercise to be carried out in the State. He said that Himachal Pradesh was highly sensitive to earthquake at it falls in coming Zone IV & V. He said that mock exercise would start with a siren or sound which would last for two minute during this period all official in Government officials and students at Schools and Colleges would practice Drop, Cover and Hold followed by evacuation from buildings.Senior Specialist, 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. He gave a detailed presentation of conducting mock drill.Special Secretary Revenue and Disaster Management Shri D.C. Rana said that earthquake scenario would be created as per IIT Mumbai, IIT Madras and NDMA systematic study in which it was presume that an earthquake of 8 magnitude on Richter Scale occurred at 12 and night on 7th February in Himachal Pradesh with its epicenter at Sundernagar at Mandi. He said that this exercise would be done in co-ordination with NDMA and Army personal which would help in finding short coming in preparedness and mitigation.