Jamshedpur: With incessant rain wreaking havoc across East Singhbhum, the district administration has gone into full alert mode to ensure timely assistance to affected residents.
A high-level review meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority and Civil Defence was convened under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi in the Collectorate conference hall on Saturday. Senior officials, including SSP Piyush Pandey, Additional Deputy Commissioner Bhagirath Prasad, Civil Surgeon Dr. Sahir Pal, SDO Dhalbhum Gautam Kumar, and representatives from Electricity, Fire Services, Railways, Municipal Corporation, Education, Building Construction, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Subarnarekha Canal Division, Army, RAF, CRPF, and Jharkhand Armed Force attended the meeting. SDO Ghatshila Sunil Chandra and all BDOs and COs joined the discussions virtually.
Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Commissioner stressed the urgency of the situation. “The administration must remain on full alert in view of the prevailing weather conditions,” he said, directing Circle Officers to promptly report losses caused by house collapses, falling trees, wall collapses, and rain-related accidents without any delay.
He underscored that compensation payments to victims should be processed swiftly as per the guidelines of the Disaster Management Division. Clear instructions were issued to avoid unnecessary delays in post-mortem reports in cases of fatalities. The Civil Surgeon was asked to coordinate with MGM Hospital to expedite documentation, enabling timely financial assistance to bereaved families.
Strict scrutiny of claims was emphasised, with the DC directing that damage to houses constructed on government land must not be counted as eligible for compensation without thorough verification. “Circle Officers must conduct site inspections to establish eligibility,” he said.
Departments were instructed to report damage to roads, bridges, culverts, government buildings, and other infrastructure due to continuous rainfall at the earliest. The DC directed that lists of affected areas be prepared in coordination with JE, panchayat secretaries, and local public representatives and forwarded to the relevant controlling departments to start repair work immediately.
Special attention was drawn to the safety of public facilities. The Deputy Commissioner categorically ordered that any dilapidated school, Anganwadi centre, or health building at risk of collapse must be sealed and secured without delay, with an immediate report sent to the district headquarters.
Both sub-divisional officers were tasked with daily reviews of reported cases and directed to act on information emerging through social media or other channels to ensure immediate relief to the needy.
Preparedness measures were also reviewed in detail. Civil Defence, Railways, Fire Department, and allied agencies were directed to remain fully mobilised. Civil Defence in particular was asked to intensify community awareness drives, deploy relief teams in waterlogged zones, and maintain stocks of emergency rescue materials.
The Civil Defence in-charge was instructed to keep an updated list of all volunteers ready for instant deployment in any rescue or relief operation across the district. “Continuous monitoring of low-lying areas, river banks, and urban settlements is essential,” the DC emphasised, adding that timely response could save lives and prevent further losses.
