Post cyclone Hudhud, the State government has been consulting various agencies to devise a foolproof plan to mitigate and manage nature’s fury in future. In such a move, the district administration has invited global IT giant IBM to study, research and analyse and work out an effective disaster management plan.
Team in city
A three-member team from IBM, Bengaluru, headed by Mamtha Sharma, Head of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs, was here on Wednesday to discuss with stakeholders and key personnel from various departments such as horticulture, fire services, agriculture and communication, to understand the issues, critical aspects and problems.
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Speaking to
“In the case of Visakhapatnam, we thought that a strong disaster management plan will be the priority, as the city is prone to cyclones. In Surat we are working on integrated civic services and in Allahabad we are doing a project on water management,” she said.
According to Joint Collector (II) D. Venkat Reddy, IBM has taken up the project free of cost and it will be part of its CSR activity.
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It is understood that IBM will engage experts from across the globe who would come and study the city and thereafter design a plan that could be effectively utilised.
“Our job is to submit a project report with recommendations. It is up to the administration to implement them,” said Ms. Mamtha Sharma.
Across the globe, IBM has taken up 16 cities under its CSR programme and it is learnt that the IT major will be spending about USD 50 million on the plan.
Ms. Mamtha Sharma also said that experts would be coming within a few days and a holistic disaster management plan will be submitted by August end.
IBM has taken up the project free of cost and it will be part of its CSR activity
D. Venkat Reddy
Joint Collector (II)