Goa Leader of Oppn says GDMA ill-equipped to handle disasters, seeks white paper

Goas Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Yuri Alemao on Tuesday demanded that the government come out with a white paper on the states preparedness to handle disasters.Speaking to reporters here, he claimed that the Goa Disaster Management Authority GDMA was ill-equipped to handle disasters.

Goa's Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Yuri Alemao on Tuesday demanded that the government come out with a white paper on the state's preparedness to handle disasters.

Speaking to reporters here, he claimed that the Goa Disaster Management Authority (GDMA) was “ill-equipped” to handle disasters. “I demand that Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant release a white paper on the preparedness of the Goa Disaster Management Authority,'' he said. Alemao also demanded details of employees working with the GDMA and the number of meetings and training sessions held by it in the last three years.

Citing a reply tabled by the government in the recent Assembly session, he alleged that the authority has no trained staff. “The reply states that the State Emergency Operation Centre is equipped with one desktop, one LED screen, one landline telephone handset, and the Emergency Response Support System is equipped with one dual screen PC with IP phone, one fireball and an eight mbps internet lease line,” Alemao added.

As per revenue minister Atanasio Monserrate's reply in the Assembly, the government relies on agencies such as Goa Shipyard, Mormugao Port Authority and private industries for heavy equipment, he pointed out.

A spokesperson of the ruling BJP said Alemao's claims were out of context.

“Disaster management is always a collaborative effort of all agencies,” he said, adding that in the past the state has tackled disasters with all its might.