Kerala to rope in public for disaster management

In view of instances of natural and man-made calamities in the state, Kerala government is mulling setting up Disaster Response Forces at the grass-root level by giving training to public in disaster management.
Minister for Revenue and Housing E Chandrasekharan today informed the Assembly during the Question Hour that selected people in the disaster-prone areas would be given training and equipped to take part in rescue missions effectively.
The training would be imparted at the taluk and panchayat levels, he said.
"The government has plans to form Disaster Response Forces in each locality by imparting training to public. Local people are the ones who come for the rescue of victims during the time of calamities," the minister said.

They even turned as life saviors in many such incidents, he said.
To a question regarding the restriction on the display of fireworks during the famed Thrissur Pooram festival in the wake of Puttingal temple fireworks tragedy, in which over 100 people died in Kollam district earlier this year, the minister said "no such restriction was imposed".
"The restriction is only for competitive fireworks display. But, the fireworks, displayed in Thrissur Pooram, is not a competitive one," he added.