Even as nature's fury and disaster brings unlimited miseries in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the central government is yet to appoint a regular chief for the specialised NDRF, the mainstay for disaster mitigation and rescue operations.
The post of Director General National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is being held as an additional assignment by the chief of ITBP for more than a fortnight now, forcing the second-in-command officers in the elite force to tackle the challenge that has erupted recently.
The last incumbent, senior IPS officer P M Nair retired on May 31 and since then the Union Home Ministry has tasked Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) DG Ajay Chadha to hold the post as a temporary arrangement.
The Inspector General (operations) of the force is attending meetings at the MHA and other forums in the absence of a regular chief.
"The force, however, is performing its best given the present challenge of undertaking relief operations in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh but keeping it headless without a full-time head speaks about the importance that is given to such a crucial organisation," a senior official said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is still to find an apt IPS officer to head this organisation which is in thick of action to provide succour to stranded people in the upper reaches and rain-hit areas of these two states.
The NDRF is a fully deputationist organisation and its ten battalions (slightly more than 10,000 personnel) are drawn from various paramilitary forces and the men and officers undergo special training for disaster management and medical care skills before joining the ranks.
