NAHARLAGUN, 23 Feb: Transport Minister Ojing Tasing urged senior field officers of his department to remain sensitive to the needs of the people, ensure quick service delivery, be proactive in taking steps that prevent road accidents, and plan effectively for disaster situations.
Inaugurating a three-day capacity building workshop for officers of the transport sector on disaster risk preparedness at the Administrative Training Institute here on Monday, the minister emphasised on professionalising the transport sector in Arunachal Pradesh by following the applicable central motor vehicle rules in letter and spirit.
Tasing sensitised the participating district transport officers to the newly launched PM RAHAT scheme, under which accident victims will get cashless treatment of upto Rs 1.5 lakh with a target of zero loss of life of any accident victim due to lack of immediate medical assistance.
He urged the DTOs to coordinate with the deputy commissioners to put in place the operational systems under the scheme in coordination with the transport department.
Amit Mohapatra, head of capacity development at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), Bangalore, informed that the workshop will focus on strengthening the state’s capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters and climate-related risks that frequently affect transport connectivity in Arunachal and other Northeastern states.
Transport Commissioner Saugat Biswas said that the training is being organised in Itanagar and Naharlagun to ensure maximum participation of officers of the state and will be in held in collaboration with the best knowledge partners in the domain.
Transport Director Sokheplum Mining highlighted the importance of building preparedness in a disaster-prone state like Arunachal. He informed that, through interactive sessions and group discussions, officers will be encouraged to connect policy frameworks with district-level realities during the training.
The workshop on ‘Preparedness for disaster risk for the transport sector: Opportunities to build resilience’ will cover climate-resilient transport planning, disaster-resilient road safety in hilly terrain, inter-agency coordination, use of GIS and spatial tools for corridor risk assessment, emergency response systems, and integrated infrastructure planning under PM Gati Shakti, he said.
The workshop is being organised by the state’s transport department in collaboration with the IIHS, and is funded jointly by ministry of road transport and highways and the state’s transport department.
District transport officers, station superintendents, motor vehicle inspectors, officers of the department of disaster management, and transport officers of neighbouring states are attending the residential training programme. (DIPR)
