Tripura’s increases readiness for disasters
March 20th, 2012 - 6:12 pm ICT by IANSAgartala, March 20 (IANS) Tripura has readied five helipads in each district to deal with an emergency arising out of a possible natural disaster, including a quake, a minister said here Tuesday.
The state falls in seismic Zone V, the sixth worst quake-prone belt in the world.
“The Tripura government has made 40 helipads in eight districts to cope with the situation following a natural disaster, including an earthquake,” Revenue and Relief Minister Badal Chowdhury said in the assembly.
Responding to a query, he said the state government had also constituted the Tripura Disaster Management Authority led by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.
The Tripura government has also made it mandatory to follow earthquake related guidelines while constructing concrete structures and buildings, particularly high-rise ones.
“The state’s urban development department has further intensified its supervision of quake-related instructions under the Tripura Building Rules,” Agartala Municipal Council (AMC) spokesperson Pranab Nandy told IANS.
The AMC has ordered the bulldozing of many concrete structures and large buildings in the capital and its outskirts for not meeting stipulations.
The Tripura government, which has also undertaken an ambitious seismic retrofitting to protect the century-old heritage buildings and palaces, including the erstwhile royal castle Ujjayanta Palace, has identified around 1,000 old buildings and memorials as vulnerable to a major tremor.
The two-storied Ujjayanta Palace, until recently the Tripura legislative assembly, was constructed by then Maharaja Radhakishore Manikya Bahadur in 1899-1901.
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Tags: badal, chief minister, chowdhury, concrete structures, disaster management, helipads, heritage buildings, legislative assembly, management authority, manik, natural disaster, old buildings, outskirts, palaces, royal castle, seismic retrofitting, seismic zone, tripura government, ujjayanta palace, urban development department