The Telangana government on Friday issued orders constituting the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), along with a governing body and a disaster management sub-committee for areas falling within the Outer Ring Road.
HYDRAA will be the single, unified agency for disaster management in the Telangana Core Urban Region (TCUR) — the area comprising the entire GHMC and such areas of Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal Malkajgiri and Sangareddy districts that fall within the Outer Ring Road, the orders specified.
The governing body, which will be chaired by the Chief Minister and have as its members the ministers for Municipal Administration & Urban Development and Revenue and Disaster Management; in-charge ministers for Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Sangareddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts; GHMC Mayor; Chief Secretary; Director-General of Police; Principal Secretary, Revenue; Principal Secretary, MA&UD; head of the Integrated Command Control Centre; and the Commissioner of HYDRAA, who will be the member-convener. The body can also have as members any other officers who may be called upon for specific requirements from time to time.
A disaster management sub-committee, too, has been formed for the TCUR with Principal Secretary, MA&UD, as chairperson and Commissioner, HYDRAA, as member-convener.
Principal Secretary, Revenue; Principal Chief Conservator of Forests; Director-General of Disaster Response and Fire Services; Managing Director of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board; Metropolitan Commissioner, the HMDA; Commissioner, the GHMC; Managing Director, Hyderabad Metro Rail; Managing Director, Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company; Engineer-in-Chief, Public Health; all district collectors; all police commissioners in the TCUR; and all municipal commissioners of the urban local bodies in the TCUR will be the members of the sub-committee, besides any others as nominated by the chairperson from time to time.
The governing body will provide policy guidance to HYDRAA and review its functioning from time to time. The sub-committee will assist the governing body in implementing disaster management plans and policies, act as a coordinating body and monitor and review disaster preparedness and response efforts of HYDRAA. It will meet at least once a month or whenever necessary, the orders said.
HYDRAA will comprise three wings respectively for asset protection, disaster management and logistical support. Whenever required to exercise penal or regulatory powers vested with other relevant authorities, the agency may coordinate with them or be entrusted with powers in accordance with law.
It will be the agency’s responsibility to protect the properties of local bodies and government, including parks, layout open spaces, playgrounds, lakes, nalas, land parcels, roads and footpaths from encroachment.
The responsibilities include inspection of private premises for building and town planning regulation and removal of dilapidated structures, and penal action against unauthorised advertisements.
The agency will discharge all the disaster management responsibilities entrusted to the erstwhile Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management (EV&DM) wing of the GHMC and coordinate with all relevant departments.
Disaster Response Information System for TCUR area, along with recruitments, administration, procurement and logistics, IT and GIS services among others, fall under the purview of the Logistics Support wing.
Traffic coordination and management, especially in times of disasters such as intense rain, is among the additional responsibilities assigned to the agency, which will also coordinate with central organisations such as the NDRF, the NRSC, Army, Air Force and the CISF apart from State government agencies and departments.
HYDRAA will have a separate head of account and draw its budget partly from the allocation by the government and partly through contributions or fee from the beneficiary agencies and departments.
The existing officers, staff, infrastructure, equipment and vehicles, presently with EV&DM stand transferred to HYDRAA, except the internal vigilance and enforcement wings, the orders said.
