GANGTOK: The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Gangtok successfully conducted a mock drill at high altitude of over 13,000 feet here at Tsomgo Passenger Ropeway on November 8.
The mock drill was conducted at 11 am under the supervision of Tshering Norgyal Theengh, Incident Commander-cum-Additional District Collector, Gangtok District.
The mock drill included a real life scenario on a stuck cabin halfway through its prescribed route. Upon seeing the incident, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officials took the initiative to evacuate the passengers inside the stuck cabin. The rescued passengers were then led to get immediate medical attention by health officials stationed near the incident. The process of evacuation and rescue was done smoothly by the NDRF team following all the protocols involved in it.
Mock drill was organized by DDMA Gangtok in collaboration and coordination with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Tsomgo Passenger Ropeway, and all the concerned stakeholders.
A debriefing session was chaired by Sonam Wongyal Lepcha, DPO DDMA Gangtok wherein Tshering Norgyal Theengh, Incident Commander-cum-Additional District Collect, Mahendra Chettri, SDM Gangtok and stakeholders gathered to review the drill, analyse the effectiveness of each response, address any challenges encountered, and discuss improvements to enhance future disaster preparedness.
The debriefing session also included experience shared by NDRF, SDRF, Police Personnel, Panchayat and representatives of Tsomgo Ropeway and Changu Pokhari Sanghrakshan Samiti. A special session was conducted by Kazi Sherpa, Joint Director Tourism and Aviation Department, wherein he imparted valuable suggestions to NDRF and SDRF to make further improvements during mockdrill exercise and real life scenarios in the near future.
- IPR Report
