From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Jun 21: Tourism-prone beach belts of Goa will now have disaster management plans, which will ensure speedy rescue from calamities like terrorist attack and natural disasters – Tsunami or Cyclone.India’s premier defence agencies including Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy are part of this disaster management scheme, which will have participation of local population.

State disaster management authority has began the exercise to work out special rescue plan in the coastal belt.

District Collector Mihir Vardhan, who heads the district disaster management authority, said that the exercise will begin from Arambol beach village, which is frequented by majority foreign tourists.

The authorities have tailor-made disaster response for these areas anticipating terrorist attack or even natural disaster like Tsunami or cyclone.

National Disaster Management authority (NDMA) has provided expertise for the plan.

Vardhan, who have been holding series of meeting with the villagers and other government agencies at Arambol, said that other coastal villages like Calangute, Baga, Anjuna will also have integrated network of plans.  “These micro level disaster management plans,” he said, adding that local sarpanch would be responsible for implementation of the plan, while mamlatdar would be a nodal officer.  “Each village has its own distinct feature which would be exploited while designing the plan,” he said. 

Vardhan said that similar plan would be worked out for each of the village, which would be integrated with district level and then state level plans.

The collector said that each of the village has problems and advantages which are different from the rest. “The plans are worked out keeping in mind these features,” he added.