Day is for operations, nights for strategy sessions in U'Khand

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Press Trust of India Gauchar (Uttarakhand)
Last Updated : Jun 24 2013 | 10:30 AM IST
After tiring rescue operations in the day, officials of the IAF, Army and ITBP get together at the dining table at night to chalk out strategy sessions for the next day and discuss the challenges the weather will pose to them in their mission in Uttarakhand.
A large contingent of officials from these agencies are based out here as a big and strategically important helipad has been created for the operations of multiple choppers deployed for rescue operations.
At the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) battalion centre here, force DIG Amit Prasad takes a review meeting of the entire days operations with his Commandants and junior officers just before he sits for meals on the dining table, while in the same room Garhwal DIG Amit Kumar Sinha undertakes a similar exercise with his staff.
"The day starts with what we have planned the last night. Operational issues about logistics, transport for rescued people, facilities for officials operating in this area have to be decided by the night as work starts very early the next day," Sinha told PTI.
The Army contingent, led by their Colonel rank officials, have a camp right next to the helipad and all the personnel from various units of communications, aviation and medical gather on the table to take stock of the replenishments required and stocks depleted for the coming day.
The IAF pilots are the ones who have a big map on their table looking for safe and better routes to fly the sorties beginning early morning.
"Just before dinner we brief our pilots about the safest routes that could be taken.All the pilots share their good and bad experiences about the terrain for the benefit of all others," an Indian Air Force (IAF) commander said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also established a communications centre here and top officials take stock of their personnel at higher reaches and reinforcements required to be sent in the next day.
"This is the norm for the last seven days here.Before we have food, we have much to talk about and discuss. The men who are tasked for rescue operations cannot talk at length the entire day and hence the dining table becomes the talking table," a senior official coordinating operations said.
Gauchar has also become the base of the state administration and Garhwal commissionarate operations.
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First Published: Jun 24 2013 | 10:30 AM IST

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