The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is all set to introduce a comprehensive forest fires control and combat training programme for its personnel to mitigate the losses due to such disasters.
The Force will play an active role in this disaster combat discipline and three of its teams will begin their training from February 6, NDRF Director General (DG) Atul Karwal said at the 18th Raising Day event here.
The move comes months after a Parliamentary panel flagged concern in 2022 over non-inclusion of forest fires as part of disasters tackled by the federal contingency force.
The panel had said, “Forest fires are a growing threat globally now. The incidents of forest fires not only damage the forest resources but also damage biodiversity, cause climate change, adversely impact tribal livelihood and lead to severe distress among flora and fauna of forests.â€
In view of the increase of these incidents in the country, forest fires should be “expeditiously†added to the list of disasters tackled by the NDRF, the panel had advised.
“Due to the limited capacity of the forest department to fight huge forest fires, it is high time that the same is tackled by a highly trained force on disasters,†it had noted.
The NDRF was in touch with the Ministry of Environment and Forests in connection with the training on tackling fires in the jungles.Eight more regional response centres (RRCs) for the NDRF will also be established across the country in the future, the DG said.
The RRCs are units that have small but self-contained teams of NDRF at designated physical locations in various States that are vulnerable to disasters. The NDRF was raised January 19, 2006 and has a total of 16 battalions (16,000 personnel), manning 28 RRCs, located at various places across the country.
“We have got a new land, about 60-65 acres, to base a battalion near Haldwani in Uttarakhand while land for a RRC in Chennai has also been sanctioned,†the DG said.
The Assam government has also decided to sanction land for housing the 1st battalion of the Force that is present in that State for about 16 years now, the DG said.
While officiating as the chief guest of the raising day event, Junior Home Minister Nityanand Rai praised the role of NDRF in quickly responding to all types of catastrophes, even in the face of
challenges.
You have shown courage and worked without caring for facilities and without “caring for your respect†and you have gone beyond your call of duty...We saw especially during cyclone Amphan (2020)...The NDRF did everything to save Bengal, the Minister
added.
