Patna: Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) unveiled its pavilion at Sonepur Mela on Wednesday, marking a crucial initiative to enhance disaster awareness and preparedness among lakhs of people coming to the month- long fair.
The inauguration ceremony took place in the fair area of Sonpur, with the vice- chairman of the Authority, Dr. Uday Kant, leading the proceedings. Esteemed members, including P.N. Rai, Manish Kumar Verma, Kaushal Kishore Mishra, and Secretary Meenendra Kumar, joined in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Saran ADM Md. Mumtaz Alam, Disaster Management Officer Gangakant Thakur, and SDO Nishant Vivek graced the occasion with their presence. The pavilion serves as a hub for various disaster awareness programs, featuring street plays, mock drills, and informational stalls designed to educate visitors on staying safe during disasters.
A particular highlight of the day was the enthusiastic participation of Bihar Fire Service, Civil Defence, and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel in the awareness campaign. Secretary Minendra Kumar emphasized the authority’s commitment to public awareness and disaster prevention through innovative methods such as drama, mockery, mock drills, puppetry, bioscope, and more.
BSDMA member P.N. Rai underscored the authority’s primary goal of fully educating fair attendees about various disasters, including floods, earthquakes, thunderbolts, and fires. He emphasized the authority’s consecutive receipt of the first prize for the past two years, urging all stakeholders to contribute diligently to maintaining this recognition.
In his address, BSDMA’s vice- chairman Dr. Udaykant shared the authority’s impressive achievements, having made 2.5 crore children aware of disasters and trained over 100,000 community volunteers. Notably, international recognition has come in the form of representatives from the Republic of Ghana seeking insights into Bihar’s disaster prevention efforts. Dr. Udaykant highlighted the authority’s innovative collaborations with institutes like IIT Patna, IISc-Bangalore, NIT-Patna, TISS-Mumbai, and IIPH-Gandhinagar, focusing on training children from madrassas and disabled individuals.
The authority’s priority, as outlined by Dr. Udaykant, is to raise awareness among people attending the Sonpur fair. The stage was skillfully conducted by Jeevan Kumar, and Sandeep Kamal extended the vote of thanks, acknowledging the collective efforts in advancing disaster management awareness.
