Madan Kumar, TNN | May 25, 2013, 03.13 AM IST
PATNA: Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) on Friday decided to take up more than 70,000 government schools, highest in any state across the country, under the Mukhya Mantri Vidyalaya Suraksha Yojna to train their students and teachers in safety measures to be taken during any calamity, especially earthquake, flood and fire incidents.
BSDMA deputy chairman Anil Kumar Sinha told TOI the Authority has also decided to train 1,300 officials of the Bihar Administrative Service (BAS) in disaster management activities to prepare them to lead relief teams in case of any major disaster in the state.
It was also decided to strengthen the buildings of all government schools by doing retro-fittings, as per the norms of quake-proof constructions, to ensure that no incident like Bhuj in Gujarat) - where 400 children had been killed in one school due to collapse of its building during earthquake - occurred in Bihar.
These decisions were taken at the seventh meeting of the BSDMA held at the chief minister's secretariat here. CM Nitish Kumar, who happens to be the chairperson of the Authority, presided over the meeting.
"We will impart training on safety measures to all children and teachers of the schools taken up under the Yojna.... Safety training will be imparted through rehearsals and mock drills. Children and teachers will be trained in what to do in case of a quake, flash flood or fire incident. The Authority will also provide first-aid kits and disaster management kits to all schools under the scheme," Sinha said.
Besides, the state government is also creating a network of 14 seismography centres for regular study of probability of earthquake in the state. "Of them, 10 centres will be opened by the state government and the rest four by the Union government," Sinha said. Like previous years, the first week of June will be observed as Flood Protection Week in the state, he said.