Vijayawada, February 09: A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will be set up at Mangalagiri at a cost of Rs 250 crore, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) vice-chairman Marri Shashidhar Reddy has said.
Speaking at a review meeting at the sub-collector’s office here today, he said the NDRF would be set up at Mangalagiri with all modern infrastructure to mitigate loss in coastal areas during natural calamities.
The state government has agreed to take up disaster management measures at a cost of Rs 731 crore with the World Bank aid. The measures will be taken up in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal in the first phase of the programme with the World Bank aid. The works should be completed within five years. Over 9 lakh people across the country have been educated on loss mitigation during natural calamities as part of an awareness campaign on disaster management, he said.
District collector Peeyush Kumar underlined the need for formulating long term measures to mitigate loss during natural calamities as the coastal areas are more prone to cyclones.
Machilipatnam MLA Perni Venkatramaiah emphasised the need for development of roads in coastal villages for rescue and relief operations during cyclones. Machilipatnam MP Konakalla Narayana, Avanigadda MLA Ambati Brahmanaiah, Pedana MLA Jogi Ramesh, National Cyclone Relief Project manager B Rajendraprasad, trainee collector Harikaran, DRO V Subba Reddy, sub-collector K Dharma Reddy and others attended the meeting.
–Agencies