Chandigarh, September 18, 2026-A review meeting on strengthening disaster preparedness and response mechanisms in U.T. Chandigarh was held today under the chairmanship of Sh. Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chairperson, District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Chandigarh.

The meeting was attended by Col. Sanjeev Sahi, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), along with officials from the NDRF and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) through video conferencing. Senior officers of the Chandigarh Administration, including Dr. Inderjeet, HCS, Chief Fire Officer, senior officers of Fire & Emergency Services, and Dy. SP Sita Devi along with Chandigarh Police officials, also participated.

Preparedness for heatwaves, urban flooding/waterlogging, earthquakes and fire emergencies was reviewed. Discussions focused on assessment of older and vulnerable buildings, strengthening fire and emergency response capabilities, improving inter-departmental coordination, and enhancing disaster monitoring systems.

A key focus of the meeting was the constitution of a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) for Chandigarh. The NDMA representative highlighted the need to expedite its establishment in view of the Disaster Management (Amendment) Act, 2025. The meeting also discussed modernization of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC/SEOC), its integration with the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), and adoption of GIS-based hazard mapping and monitoring.

The Deputy Commissioner said, “Chandigarh is committed to building a strong, technology-enabled and coordinated disaster response system. The constitution of the SDRF will be taken up on priority, along with strengthening emergency response capacity, infrastructure preparedness and inter-departmental coordination to ensure timely and effective response to any disaster.”