Delhi CM Gupta chairs high-level meeting, asks officials to ensure emergency preparedness

New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Ahead of the bilateral understanding between India and Pakistan to immediately stop all firings and military actions, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting with heads of different departments during which she took stock of the preparations.

The chief minister after the meeting said "Delhi is ready for any emergency".

"We have to keep the system normal and be ready for any situation. Everything is normal on our part and we have ensured that the departments are ready and alert," she told reporters.

Gupta said that there was no need to panic and added people just need to be aware.

Senior Delhi government officers said that the chief minister asked for hospitals to be prepared and to keep medicines in stock.

The Health department was also instructed to keep ICUs ready.

The Power department has been asked to prepare for a situation if blackout is needed. Education department has been directed to work in coordination with other departments to identify schools that can serve as shelters in case of an emergency, said one of the officers.

The Delhi government is on alert mode, said a statement from the government and added the purpose of the meeting chaired by the chief minister was to assess departmental preparedness for the current emergency situation.

The chief minister issued several key directives to implement a multi-tiered, coordinated and active strategy to address emergency situations in the capital.

She directed the Power department to ensure prompt response in case of power outages and to provide backup electricity for essential services.

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) was instructed to safeguard the water supply network, deploy tankers and ensure round-the-clock power backup for all pumping stations.

The Revenue department was directed to immediately activate District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs), ensure identification and readiness of shelters and keep Civil Defense Volunteers (CDVs) ready for emergency deployment, the statement said.

Special emphasis was placed on establishing coordination with the armed forces, railways and airport authorities to enable swift and coordinated responses during any situation, it added.

The Home and Police departments were instructed to ensure 24/7 security of critical infrastructure sites and prioritize the safety of essential services' supply chains. Preparations for implementation of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) where ever it is deemed necessary.

In the aftermath of killing of 26 persons mostly tourists in a terror attack last month in Pahalgam, India and Pakistan have been engaged in hostilities involving strikes with drones, missiles and heavy shelling in border areas. PTI VIT/SLB AS AS