Every disaster a lesson to learn from: Chief Secretary

Srinagar, Jul 18: In a significant step towards enhancing the disaster resilience and preparedness, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir conducted a high-level workshop on the Incident Response System (IRS) Friday.
The workshop was attended by Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, Principal Secretary Home and DMRR&R, Chandraker Bharti, senior Administrative Secretaries, Divisional Commissioners, Heads of Departments and National Disaster Management experts including Brigadier Kuldip Singh (Retd), Former Senior Consultant, Ministry of Home Affairs.
In his opening remarks, the Chief Secretary underlined the critical importance of building a culture of disaster preparedness among the citizens and institutions. “Disasters often arrive without warning and in every such instance, citizens are the first responders,” he said. “Each capable individual has a moral responsibility to contribute to disaster resilience by being aware, prepared and proactive.”
Highlighting Jammu and Kashmir’s unique geopolitical and environmental vulnerabilities, the Chief Secretary emphasized the UT’s susceptibility to earthquakes, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), landslides, cross-border tensions and climate-induced challenges. “Given our exposure to multiple hazards, our preparedness must be all-encompassing, institutionally sound and technologically enabled,” he stated.
Dulloo stressed that disaster readiness is not measured by paperwork but by the number of lives saved and the responsiveness of the system during crisis. He noted that increasing urbanization and climate change have escalated the intensity and frequency of disasters, placing greater responsibility on governments, institutions and citizens to act decisively.
He advocated for clear institutional frameworks with defined roles and responsibilities. He emphasised the need of optimising use of advanced technologies such as GIS mapping, real-time weather forecasting and drone-based surveillance besides active community engagement, capacity building of NGOs, civil society and local volunteers. He also asked for integration of mid-career training for the officers and regular mock drills to ensure readiness.
The Chief Secretary called for customisation of IRS protocols based on local risk profiles at the district and block level. He proposed development of a Disaster Dashboard to map available resources, machinery, manpower and vulnerable zones across the UT.
In his inaugural address, Principal Secretary, Home and DMRR&R, Chandraker Bharti, described the IRS as a newly notified system in J&K aimed at establishing a well-coordinated command structure during disasters. He explained that the IRS, modeled on international best practices and customized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), defines precise roles for each officer to eliminate confusion during emergencies.
Bharti highlighted the ongoing initiatives under the Disaster Management Department including the Mitigation plans for GLOFs and landslides, Integration of the India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN), Deployment of Decision Support Systems and Establishment of Emergency Operation Center (EOC).
He expressed optimism about significantly strengthening the disaster management mechanisms through these efforts and urged the officials to institutionalize the disaster response protocols across all levels.
Delivering a detailed presentation, Brigadier Kuldip Singh (Retd), a distinguished disaster management expert, shared his insights on disaster typologies, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the defined responsibilities of various stakeholders during emergencies. Drawing from real-life disaster incidents across India, he emphasized that “no region is immune to disasters”, and increased development must go hand-in-hand with increased vigilance and responsibility.
Brigadier Singh stressed the critical roles of central and UT governments, NDMA, SDMAs, DDMAs and block-level institutions in developing a seamless and scalable disaster response framework. He reiterated the need for integrated planning, resource allocation, and community-based preparedness to make India one of the most disaster-resilient nations in the world.
Later, a comprehensive Handbook on the Incident Response System (IRS) was unveiled, clearly delineating the roles and responsibilities of each officer and department involved in disaster response.
At the Union Territory level, the IRS is being headed by the Chief Secretary, who functions as the Response Officer. The handbook also outlines the hierarchical structure, including designated roles for the Incident Commander, Nodal Officer, Liaison Officer, Planning and the Media Communication System, thereby institutionalizing a well-coordinated and structured mechanism for disaster preparedness and response in the UT.