SRINAGAR: Chief Executive Officer, Jammu and Kashmir Economic Reconstruction Agency (J&K ERA) and Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP), Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, today visited and inspected construction work on Rs. 34.88 crore State of Art UT level Emergency Operations Centre and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Control Building.
Pertinently, J&K ERA took up this project on war footing soon after laying of foundation stone for this ambitious venture, being executed under World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project, by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, in presence of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha.
CEO was accompanied by the senior officers of JKERA and JTFRP during the inspection.
Director J&KERA, Kashmir, Shakti Sagar, informed the CEO that the Emergency Operations Building being constructed over 80 kanal of land at Ompura, Budgam, would comprise of G+1 floors. The building will also house the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Centre structure that would be the central control room for 80 dewatering pumping stations in Srinagar city for scientific management of all these stations using IT enabled services.
It would also include dormitories for the personnel of SDRF, NDRF, kitchen, dining hall and two large sized warehouses for stocking of various relief and rescue equipments and essential commodities, helipad for emergency landing and concrete platforms for pitching of tents. He said that construction of compound wall having a length of more than 600 meters and excavation work at site and other ancillary works is in full swing.
Director Technical, JTFRP, Basharat Ahmad Kawoosa, said that the EOC will be fully equipped with all the modern technologies and software being used world over for forecasting of natural disasters and coordinating the relief and rescue operations in case of any natural disasters. These included Decision Support System, Integrated Operational Flood Forecasting System, Disaster Risk Database which are being developed under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project with a cumulative cost of Rs 30.61 crore.
Basharat added that the building would be equipped with latest SCADA system which has already been procured and work on its installation in various pumping stations across the Srinagar city is already underway.
Dr. Abid said that such a facility equipped with all latest wherewithal under one roof is being constructed for the development of a robust disaster management system in the UT. A well-established Emergency Operations Centre equipped with latest systems for disaster forecasting and emergency operations systems would definitely strengthen the capacity of the UT to meet the challenges posed by unforeseen natural calamities, he added.
Dr. Abid directed the executing agency to expedite the pace of work on the project and mobilize more men and machinery to ensure that it is completed within the stipulated timeframe.