Building by laws likely to come up in rural Himachal

The Himachal Pradesh government is likely to frame by laws for commercial buildings in rural areas to reduce human losses during disasters.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said his government would also work towards strengthening fire brigade system in the state.

"By laws may be formed for commercial buildings in rural areas to reduce human losses during disasters," Thakur told reporters on the sidelines of a regional workshop on the challenges of disaster risk reduction in hill towns of north-western Himalayas.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Kamal Kishore said there is immediate requirement to improve existing disaster response capacity system in the state as there are only 80 firemen in three fire stations in Shimla.

Kishore highlighted the need to create the State Disaster Response Force in Himachal Pradesh "for better response in disasters as National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is not a sustainable alternate in hilly areas".

"We do not refuse sending NDRF to states in disasters but there is need to strengthen local capacity as NDRF men may take time to accustom themselves in hilly areas. Moreover, we are overusing NDRF," he added.

The two-day workshop was formally inaugurated by the chief minister on Tuesday. Experts from various organisations and representatives from Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are taking part in the workshop.