Bhubaneswar: The state will host the Second BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Nations disaster management exercise in February this year.
The exercise will be undertaken at Ramchandi beach near Konark in Puri district from February 11 and 14.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has selected Odisha for the exercise which will have representation from the seven BIMSTEC countries—Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. About 16 to 20 officials from each country will participate in the exercise.
These seven countries have a common experience of different types of disasters, the most common ones being flood and cyclone, said NDRF Director General (DG) Satya Narayan Pradhan here, Monday.
Pradhan said that this exercise is something like net practice in games so that when disaster hits, one is fully geared to tackle it.
“Odisha was selected for its experience and successful handling of disaster management. The most important thing is that apart from experience and excellence we have plenty of heritage sites here like the golden triangle of Konark-Puri and that too in a coastal area. This special combination can be experienced by us in Odisha, and that’s the reason why Odisha was selected,” the DG said.
The inaugural event will be held at a private hotel here while the practical mock drill will be held on the second day.
Simulation of flooding and earthquakes will be undertaken here as part of the exercise which will also have a temple. This will be real-time exercise so that in times of disaster BIMSTEC countries can have proper coordination among themselves, he added.
In the evening, Pradhan met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Lok Seva Bhawan here. The state government has submitted a proposal to set up NDRF points in Nabarangpur and Burla. A decision in this regard will be taken within a few weeks, Pradhan said.