Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the establishment of the headquarters of the 12th Battalion of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at Hollongi near Itanagar in presence of MoS for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, State Forest Minister Nabam Rebia and other dignitaries.
Speaking on the occasion, Arunachal CM Khandu said, “Today is a historic day” and thanked the Union Home Ministry for the project.
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He said due to the efforts from Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, the battalion headquarters is being established in Arunachal.
Khandu specifically mentioned the role of MoS Home, who brought the project first in 2014 but got delayed due to land availability issues. It was later solved with voluntary contribution of land from the land donors in Hollongi and thanked them for their cooperation.
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The CM on the occasion also congratulated Union Minister Rijiju for being conferred with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) champion for the Asia Region by the United Nation.
Khandu said the permanent stationing of NDRF battalion in Arunachal will not only help the state but will be available for service to the neighboring State of Assam also.
The Arunachal CM said the fight against natural calamities and man-made disaster will be strengthened by the presence of NDRF thus saving precious lives and property.
He also said to fight calamities, the state police forces and the central police forces are being equipped including awareness and disaster drill being conducted among civilian population.
The CM on the occasion also announced that project developed by the state government will include environment and safety concerns.
He said the State Government will soon implement the building bye-laws in Arunachal.
Speaking on the occasion, Rijiju said that the Central Government has plans to upgrade the capabilities of the NDRF to offer its best services to Arunachal and its neighboring States such as Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.
The NDRF, comprising nearly 10,000 paramilitary personnel is the world’s largest standalone disaster response force which has been handling various emergencies in the State recently, said Rijiju while adding that the establishment of the NDRF headquarters at the Hollongi would benefit the locals in many ways.
“To lay the foundation stone for an NDRF headquarter at Hollongi was a vision I had seen since long,” said the MoS.