*Assesses functioning of BOPEE
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 27: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today chaired a meeting of Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) Department to review the flood management and mitigation measures being evolved for Kashmir valley.
ACS Jal Shakti, ACS Forest, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Secretary PWD, Secretary Health, Secretary Grievances, Secretary DMRR&R, IG Traffic, Deputy Commissioners, SPs, Chief Engineer I&FC/UEED, representatives of NDRF and other concerned officers attended the meeting.
The Chief Secretary asked for devising an effective strategy to deal with flood like situations in the valley. He called for evolving proper SoPs to deal with the floods as like the ‘Code Blue’ being followed in hospitals, where every concerned individual is fully acquainted with his/her role and responsibility in the times of emergency.
The Chief Secretary called for having a detailed flood mapping/inundation map of each area in the districts to act accordingly. He exhorted upon the DCs and Divisional Commissioner to have proper planning in place to deal effectively with the natural disasters.
Dulloo also asked for having a direct communication link with the public in times of such disasters so that they do not panic and get actual information about rescue measures and places available for public. He suggested for mapping of mobile towers so that customized messages to people in case of emergencies can be sent. He also asked for identification of rescue centres in all flood prone having all the requisite amenities. He also asked for working out a proper backup strategy to augment the efforts of administration in case of any possible emergency.
He reviewed working of Emergency Operation Centre and the vital installations present in the flood prone areas. He called upon the Divisional administration to carryout an exercise of creating backup for such installations.
During the meeting, ACS Jal Shakti, Shaleen Kabra, threw light on all the measures taken by the department to deal with such kind of natural calamities in J&K.
The meeting was apprised of the works carried out, so far, by the Department. It also laid out the future plans of the department besides the contingency plan it has devised for the eventuality. The meeting also presented the stock position of different flood mitigation items available with the Department in its stores.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary chaired a meeting of the Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE) to take stock of its functioning regarding admissions to the professional courses being offered in colleges of Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by ACS Forest, Principal Secretary Higher Education, Commissioner Secretary GAD, Secretary Health, SIO NIC, besides Chairperson BOPEE, Controller of Examinations, BOPEE and other concerned officers both in person and virtually.
The Chief Secretary had appraisal of the calendar of examinations and admissions made to the professional courses by the Board. He took serious note of the unfilled seats in the courses like B.Tech, MDS, M.Sc Nursing, DNB and others.
Dulloo maintained that these professional colleges have requisite infrastructure and candidates desirous of taking admissions in such courses should be encouraged to study here.
The Chief Secretary asked about the total intake capacity of these colleges and the remaining vacant proportion. He delved upon possible reasons for such vacancies and the way forward to fill these in future.
He asked about the yearly recognition of degree courses in these colleges and exploration of the possibility to extend these to multiple years in the interest of students. He also asked about the status of recognition of B.Ed courses in government colleges.
Regarding admissions made in B.E and B.Tech courses, the Chief Secretary advised for taking all possible steps to fill these vacancies in beginning of the academic year. He maintained that the reasons hindering admissions to the courses should be looked into seriously to enable local students secure admissions in our colleges offering such degrees.
BOPEE Chairperson, Minu Mahajan, apprised the meeting of functioning of the board. She threw light on the courses and the response of students for each of them. She gave details about the seats being offered for admission by the board in counseling and the proportion of seats filled against offered ones.
