Delhi govt proposes restructuring DDMA on lines of National Disaster Management Authority

To effectively deal with disasters, the AAP government has proposed to restructure the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on the lines of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and have a full-time CEO, consultants, "exclusive" response force and experts, an official said.

The revenue department has sent a proposal to Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot to restructure the DDMA chaired by the lieutenant governor.

According to DDMA's website, the chief minister is the vice-chairman while chief secretary is also the CEO. The DDMA currently comes under the revenue department headed by Gahlot.

As per the plan, DDMA, which does not have a permanent office building in the city, will have separate secretariat once the proposal gets nods from the government.

An official said that DDMA facing staff shortage needs more attention to effectively tackle disaster. At present, DDA focuses on immediate relief whenever there is disaster, but there is also need for prevention