GUWAHATI, July 28 - With devastating floods affecting the State, 28 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed in the worst-affected places to rescue marooned people, while the government has taken a decision to increase the strength of the force.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Additional Director General of Police AP Raut, who is in charge of the Force, said that at present the Force has two companies of personnel and the third company is being raised. The ultimate aim is to increase the strength of the force to a full battalion of seven companies, he said.
Raut said that each of the teams deployed in 28 locations are equipped with inflated boats, life jackets, etc., while the teams deployed in the most vulnerable areas have been given fibre glass boats, which are much bigger in size. He said that the SDRF personnel are working in coordination with the personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army in some places of the State.
He said that at least 1,500 marooned persons have been rescued by the SDRF personnel in different parts of the State so far and the number is increasing every day. The Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts have appreciated the role played by the personnel of the Force in a recent video conference by the Chief Minister to assess the situation on the ground.
As far as training and equipment goes, the SDRF is comparable with the NDRF. The personnel of the SDRF are not only trained locally, but are also trained up in the NDRF training centres for rescue operations, while some of the personnel are also trained in deep-water diving in an institute in Kolkata. �We can proudly say that the SDRF personnel get the same level of training like the NDRF men,� Raut added.
