AGARTALA, Sep 29 (TIWN): Tripura’s location in seismic zone 5, the highest earthquake prone zone, natural hazards as earthquakes, landslides and floods are hitting the state regularly, but the State Govt yet to take serious initiatives to tackle such disaster risks. Floods in Northern part of Tripura & few other subdivisions have become an annual occasions of the state. Whereas Assam is known as regular sufferer from such disasters like flood, but every year households becoming homeless during monsoon, especially in North Tripura. In 2016 also more than 1000 homeless recorded during the whole June/ July months. Apart from flood, Tripura is undergoing frequent earthquake shocks. In 2016 state witnessed atleast 5 earthquakes, but state’s disaster management has been proven mostly useless during emergency times.

Most importantly, Agartala City has been constructed in uncontrolled manner that there is no chance of limited life-loss if earthquake hits the state with greater magnitudes, just because Govt is yet to enforce  constructing  earthquake proof-buildings. Building which are made by Govt. are fully unscientific & maximum constructions were done with cheap materials.

Also the Govt was advised to construct houses with bamboos under PMAY scheme keeping in mind about the earthquake risks in state, and to increase bamboo demands more. But PWD Minister rubbished the idea by saying, ‘bamboo made homes people will not accept’.

Whereas in other states & in any developing state, by maintaining proper safety such works are done but in Tripura life has remained as very cheap to the Govt. Such works are done in groups & without tying bodies with ropes, oxygen masks they are never sent to underground-well—but in last 15 days four people died in this state, but the losses are only faced by those devastated parents.

Disaster management during the whole year, help the people from Dasami-ghat & by showing various demos, but when it comes time for action--- they proven as failed.

Lack of awareness among masses about the presence of Disaster Management teams is also a cause behind such incidents. However, the whole responsibility goes to Tripura administration for its lack of seriousness about disaster risks.

Lack of E-Governance & satellite monitoring also reflects dead-skeleton structure of Tripura administration.

 In Northeast Industry Summit-2016 the book published by FICCI named “Leveraging the digital connect : North Eastern India”, the same issue was raised about NE zone disaster risks,  which was published by Manik Sarkar himself.