Shri Manoj Sinha, Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, J&K today e-inaugurated (09) projects worth Rs 137.35 crores completed by J&K Economic Reconstruction Agency under the World Bank funded , Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project

Hon’ble L.G inaugurated the (29) Oxygen Generation Plants constructed by J&KERA under the CERC (Contingency Emergency Response) component of the World Bank funded JTFRP. Work on the (30) Oxygen Generation Plants was taken up by J&KERA on war footing in later part of 2021 and got completed within the shortest possible time. The project involved the procurement and installation of the PSA(Pressure Swing Absorption) based “Manifold Oxygen Plants” which have been recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization) for the treatment of the COVID-19 patients suffering from acute respiratory stress and critical to the recovery of seriously ill COVID-19 patients. The availability of this critical care equipment’s at the sub-district and community level hospitals will be significant in scaling down the deaths caused due to the COVID-19.

The project also involved the construction of the building for housing of the oxygen generation plant as per the prescribed specifications, installation and procurement of electro-mechanical components of main oxygen concentrator, air compressor, air receiver tanks, filtration system, air dryers, oxygen receiver tanks, bulk cylinders, oxygen regulating manual tanks, oxygen flowmeters, digital gas alarm, compressed air, Nitrous gas system which will be backed up with the 24X7 power supply with 125 KVA transformers, 150 KVA servo-stabilizers and all other necessary wherewithal to make the plants fully operational round the clock.

It was said that installation of (29) OGPs at the hospitals located in most remote areas across the U.T having a cumulative capacity of around 11,000 LPM can be termed as one of the most significant accomplishment under the JTFRP. With the installation of these facilities in most remote areas of UT like Mendhar, Sunderbani, Surankote, Banihal, Gandoh, Batote, Banihal, Chenani, Katra, Hajin, Tangmarg,, Qazigund, Zainapora, Yaripora, Akhnoor, Chowki Chaura, Bani, Hirannagar, Gaghwal, Ramgarh, Beerwah, Chari-Sharief Gurez, Tangdar, Tral, Kellar, Kangan, Uri and Kreeri.

With the commissioning of these Oxygen Generation Plants completed at a cost of Rs 69.00 Crores more than 16 lac people living in these most remote areas of the UT have been provided with the life saving facility of medical grade oxygen at the nearest Govt Health facility.

Earlier, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Chief Executive Officer, JKERA/ JTFRP while briefing about the Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project said that during the last 2 years 132 sub-projects out of the total of 213 sub-projects have been completed at the cost of ₹ 428.79 Cr. while as work on remaining 81 sub-projects is in the advanced stage of execution.

The dramatic turnaround in the implementation of JTFRP is evident from the fact that during last two years 90% of procurement and 80% of disbursements under the project have been undertaken during the (2020-2021) as against 10% of procurement and 20% disbursements achieved during the initial (04) four years of the project i.e. from 2016-2019.

The upgradation of the (5) vital road projects –namely- Parimpora-Soibugh road in Srinagar/Budgam, Rigid Concrete Pavement road from Civil –Secretariat to Rambagh in Srinagar, Anji-Panasa in Reasi, Halmullah- Panchpora –Kralkut in Anantnag and Litter-Chakura-Chowdhary Bagh in Pulwama and one bridge 43 M Span steel deck bridge over Anji Nallah at Sukhal Nallah at Sukhal Ghati in Reasi completed at a cumulative cost of Rs 35.74 crores will provide the improved road connectivity to population of around 5 lac souls living in these various areas and provide them with the faster and improved access to markets, health, educational facilities and lead to creation of more jobs in tourism and other sectors.

The study on the Multihazard Risk Assesment in J&K and two significant IT based tools for the Strengthening of the Disaster Management in the UT namely Development of DSS (Decision Support System) and DRDB (Disaster Risk Database) developed under the JTFRP were also released on the occasion by the Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor.

The tools developed would definitely revolutionize the Disaster Management Infrastructure in J&K and give Disaster specialists and concerned line agencies dealing with emergencies a latest and modern tools to timely forecast the various impending calamities thus prevent loss of precious lives and property due to these.

The Upgraded Building Codes for J&K developed under World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project were also unveiled by the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor on the occasion.

The 2- member World Bank Technical team comprising of Shri Peeyush Sekhsaria, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist and Shri. Manzoor Khan Operations Specialist, today concluded it's 4- day visit to Jammu. During its visit to Jammu the team reviewed the progress of ongoing Projects being executed by JKERA under World Bank funded Jhelum & Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP). The visiting team had series of meetings with senior officers of ERA and R&B Jammu and also visited various sites during its stay in Jammu.

During their visit to various schools, which included GPS Beli Charana, GHS Chak Majra, GPS Gujjar Basti, GMS Purana Pind, the World Bank Team lauded the work done by JKERA in the execution of project. The school buildings have been constructed using the BaLA ( Building as A Learning Aid) design under component-I of JTFRP i.e. Reconstruction and strengthening of critical infrastructure of World Bank Funded JTFRP Project. The Team had interactions with Teachers, Staff, Community members and children studying in these schools. The stakeholders appreciated World Bank & JKERA for constructing the schools buildings using creative Bala design and expressed gratitude to the World Bank for providing state of the art school infrastructure in remote areas. Senior officers/officials of R&B Jammu, which is the Project Implementation Unit for the construction of school buildings, also accompanied the World Bank and ERA Team

The Technical team also visited the 300 LPM Manifold Oxygen Plant at GAH, Gaghwal, one of the (30) Manifold Oxygen Plants constructed by J&KERA under Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project across the UT. During the visit to Rs. 13.24 crore sub project involving the construction of 58 mts Steel Motorable Bridge from Katheel Ganjoo to Barsoa over Ghordi Nallah and 50 mts span Steel Motorable Bridge from Barsoa to Patri over Barmeen Nallah along with approach roads in Udhampur district, the team was informed that these motorable bridges will be the vital link between Katheel, Ganjo, Plarn, Ramain, Barmeen, Kuh Nallah, Barata, Barsoa, Pathri, Bari, Sanetar and Bhatyari villages. Construction of these bridges will give boost to socio-economic activity in the region.

During their visit to Rs 16.71 crore, 18.29 km Sidhra Surinsar Road, the team expressed satisfaction on the progress of the work . The team also visited the 11 km long Tutan Di Khuie to Khada Madana Road being upgraded at the cost of Rs.26.62 crores.

Peeyush Sekhsaria, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist said that the World bank is glad to know that the schools building built under JTFRP, across the UT under World Bank funded project have considerably upgraded the education sector and pleased to hear that the enrollment in schools has increased considerably after the construction of BaLA based buildings.

The World Bank Team was accompanied by Director Technical Iftikhar Ahmad Wani, Director Jammu Ajay Kumar Raju, Project Manager Transport Ashok Kumar Khokhar, Project Manager Hydraulic Nand Kishore Gupta and other senior officers/officials of ERA and consultants.

The team of World Bank led by Mr Abhas Jha, Practice Manager, (Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management) South Asia Region along with Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah,Chief Executive Officer, J&KERA,Mr Deepak Singh, Lead Disaster Risk Management Specialist, World Bank and Mr Hemang Karelia, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist of World Bank today had a meeting with the Chief Secretary of J&K, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta during which the World Bank team lauded the efforts made by the J&K Govt in bringing about a positive turn around in the implementation of the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery during the last two years.

Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta had a detailed discussions with the World Bank team about the progress of World Bank funded JTFRP. He said that more possibilities for capacity building of engineers in the sphere of seismic proof construction need to be explored and also expressed the hope that World Bank would continue to support the J&K in the areas of climate change, sustainable development, environmental sustainability etc .

The World Bank team visited the 500 LPM Manifold Oxygen Plant at SDH Charir-e-Sharief at Budgam, one of the (30) Manifold Oxygen Plants constructed by The J&KERA under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project. It was informed that the Oxygen Plant at Charier- Sharief will directly benefit the population of around 1 lac souls in various areas of remote Charier-E-Sharief Tehsil in District Budgam. During the visit of the World Bank team a delegation of local community based organisation called on the team and thanked the World Bank for funding the construction of much needed Oxygen plant in the area. Pertinent to mention here that under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery project (30) Oxygen Plants have been constructed by J&KERA at a cost of Rs 70 crores in the most far-flung areas across J&K.

During visit to the Rs 12.88 crore Bonpora- Padshahi Bagh Storm Water Drainage project constructed by J&KERA under the World Bank funded JTFRP, team was informed that the area was one of the worst hit residential areas to be badly damaged during the floods of 2014 and with the construction of the storm water drainage in the area the localities have got immense relief from the frequent flooding during rainy seasons and winters. A delegation of local community also called on the visting team and expressed their gratitude to World Bank for providing the people of area with the much needed facility of storm water drainage. The Pumping station at Lalmandi being constructed as part of Rs 103 Crore Upgradation of the (49) pumping stations in Srinagar was also visited by the team.

The World Bank team also visited the JLNM, Hospital at Rainawari were the team was shown the various latest critical medical care equipments which have been provided under the JTFR project at a cost of Rs 270 crores to all the District hospitals across the J&K for the strengthening of critical care health facilities in the UT.

Medical Superintendent JLNM Hospital said that the equipments provided under the World Bank funded project have brought a key change in providing of the best quality health to people in the J&K.

She added that the latest hi-tech equipment’s like Anaesthesia work station, Dithermy vessel sealing machines, high flow oxygen devices, Dialysis machines, Hydraulic OT beds etc have turned the hospital into the state of art health care facility.

Mr. Abhas Jha, said that I am glad to know that the critical care medical equipments provided to the different hospitals across the UT under World Bank funded project have considerably upgraded the health infrastructure in the UT .

A 3-member team of the World Bank led by Mr Abhas Jha, Practice Manager, (Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management) South Asia Region, World Bank and comprising of Mr Deepak Singh, Lead Disaster Risk Management Specialist,World Bank and Mr Hemang Karelia, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist of World Bank presently on a two day visit to the J&K has appreciated the J&K Govt. and J&K Economic Reconstruction Agency for bringing around a dramatic turnaround in the implementation of the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project

Mr Abhas Jha, Practice Manager (Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management) South Asia Region, World Bank said this during a meeting held at SKICC Srinagar here today to review the progress of World Bank funded $ 250 million USD, JTFRP

Mr Abhas Jha of World Bank said that “ I have observed that JKERA as an organisation has certainly done something beyond the call of duty to bring dramatic turnaround in the project implementation” “He added that excellent job has been done by J&KERA under the various sectors of health, disaster management, education, livelihoods etc which will have long-term positive impact for many generations to come”

Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Chief Executive Officer, J&KERA while briefing the high level team of World Bank team about latest progress of the project said that that under the various components of JTFRP an expenditure of Rs 921 has been made till date

He added that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020-2021 the project has shown a remarkable turnaround in the implementation. He added that during the last two years 90% of procurement and 80% of disbursements have been undertaken in the project

Earlier in the day the World Bank team visited the Composite Market Centre for Silk at Rajbagh and Composite Market Centre for Wool at Bemina, Srinagar which have been completed under the World Bank funded JTFRP under the component of Strengthening of Livelihoods of World Bank funded JTFRP. The team was informed about the vital role played by the two sub-projects in the revitalisation of the traditional Wool and Silk industry in J&K. It was said that various latest weaving and processing equipment’s procured under the project for these factories has given a big boost in production of quality silk and wool products and has directly benefited more than 15,000 families associated with these two sectors.

The Team visited the Headquarters of the Fire & Emergency Dept. at Batamallo were the senior officers of the F&ES informed that team that (03) different types of fire tenders and latest fire rescue equipment’s worth Rs 14.48 crores have been received by the Dept. from the Project Management Unit of JTFRP. It was added that these include (17No) Multipurpose Fire tenders, (09No) Regular Fire Tenders, (17No) Medium Weight Quick Response vehicles which has considerably increased the capacity of the F&ES Dept. in quickly controlling the accidental fire incidents in the UT. Mock drill and live demonstration of these various fire rescue equipment’s – Hydraulic spreader cutter/combi tools, fire Entry suits, fire proximity suits etc was made before the visiting team.

During the visit to under Construction Additional Block at Bone & Joints Hospital, Barzulla the team was briefed about the salient features of the State of Art, 120 bedded Hospital which is being constructed at a cost of Rs 89 Crores under the World Bank funded JTFRP.

Latest Fire Tenders and Fire Rescue equipments worth Rs 14.50 crores have been provided to the Fire and Emergency Services Department under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project to help the Dept. revamp its fleet of fire tenders and strengthen its capacity to undertake the rescue work during fire accidents in a better way.

Under the component of Strengthening the Disaster Management Capacity of the World Bank funded JTFRP (17 No) Multipurpose Fire Tenders , (09No) Regular Fire Tenders , (17No) Quick Response vehicles having a total cost of Rs 12.36 crores have been provided to the Fire & Emergency Services Dept. for revamping its fleet of fire tenders across J&K

“(QRV,s) Quick Response Fire tenders vehicles provided under JTFRP have been found to be very effective in controlling the fire incidents in congested urban areas were lanes are often narrow and normal fire tenders find it hard to reach the accident spot” said Senior Divisional Officer of the F&ES Dept . He said these vehicles are equipped with latest dual fire dousing systems which are equally potent in controlling all the types of fires using water jets or foam sprays depending on the type of fire.

The Multipurpose Fire Tenders provided under the World Bank funded JTFRP have a water carrying capacity of 5000 litres and can also be loaded with 500 litres of foam. These vehicles are very vital for the timely containment of large scale fires and are also fitted with the electronic snag detection system which helps in timely rectification of any technical problem developed in the vehicle.

The fire vehicles provided under the World Bank project have been provided to fire stations in different Districts across the UT which has considerably strengthened the capacity of the F&ES Dept. to control the fire accidents.

For effective management of the rescue work during the fire accidents (06) different types of (136 No) hi-tech equipments worth Rs 2.12 Crores have also been provided to the F&ES Dept. These include Hydraulic Spreader Cutter/Combi Tools, Ramps/ Hydraulic Jacks, Fire Entry suits, Fire Proximity suits, Breathing apparatus sets and Water Jel blankets.

“Equipments like Hydraulic spreaders and Combi tools are very effective in rescuing a person stuck inside a car or an iron barricaded building during an accident” said one of the Senior Fire Officer at the Directorate of F&ES.

Further as part of the strengthening of the Infrastructure at the Fire & Emergency Services Headquarters at Batmaloo a new Administrative building and a Central Store Building is also being constructed under the Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project at a cost Rs 9.07 crores.

Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Chief Executive Officer, J&KERA/JTFRP said “ Strengthening of the various aspects of Disaster Management in UT is one of the main objectives of the World Bank funded JTFRP and with considerable infrastructural and material support provided under JTFRP I hope the Department would be able to manage the fire accidents in more professional manner and will also be able to minimise loss to property and save precious lives during accidents. .

As part of the continuous monitoring of the works Chief Executive Officer, J&KERA Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah today inspected progress of work on various infrastructure projects having a cumulative cost of Rs 235 crores being executed by the J&KERA under the various components of the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project. These sub-projects will directly benefit millions of people across J&K.

During the site inspection of work on the Construction of Pumping stations at Lalmandi, Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah was informed that the work on the sub-project is being executed as part of the Strengthening of the Urban Flood Management component of the World Bank funded JTFRP and includes the revamping of (49) Storm water pumping stations in Srinagar City which had suffered massive damages to civil structure and electro-mechanical equipment’s during floods of 2014. It was said that sub-project will benefit more than 12 lac people living in Srinagar city

The sub-project is being executed by Srinagar Municipal Corporation as PIU (Project Implementation Unit) at a cost of Rs 103 crores and involves the construction of new pump house buildings above the highest flood level recorded in 2014 and also includes the installation of new electrical and mechanical equipment’s in these pump houses.

It was added that the unique feature of the sub-project is the installation of submersible pumps which can even operate in submerged conditions. These pumping stations will also be provided with 24x7 supply of electricity and backed up with high capacity diesel set generators. These pumping stations along with the remaining pumping stations in Srinagar City are also being connected with the SCADA system which can be operated remotely from the SCADA Control Room Building which is being constructed by JKERA at Ompura,Budgam

CEO ERA asked the engineers of PIU and executing agencies to strictly adhere to quality control parameters and also ensure completion of work within the set timelines.

Dr Abid also visited the Rs 14.04 Crore Composite Market Centre of Silk and Rs 4.50 Cr Wool at Rajbagh and Bemina which have been completed under the World Bank funded JTFRP .Both of these plants have also been provided with the latest silk and wool weaving and preparatory machines like Rapier looms, 2 for 1 twisters, Boilers etc. at a cumulative cost of Rs. 28.49 Crores

It was given out that strengthening of the infrastructure in the two heritage factories has greatly helped in the revival of the traditional cottage industries in J&K and directly benefited more than 60,000 artisans associated with the traditional crafts in J&K.

CEO ERA/JTFRP also inspected the progress of work on the construction of Administrative block and central store building at Fire & Emergency Services headquarters, Batmaloo, Srinagar. The building is being constructed at a cost of Rs 9.07 crores and executed by PWD(R&B) Kashmir as Project implementation Unit.

CEO, ERA directed the R&B to strictly adhere to the social safeguard measures at site with due compliance to the project timelines

During visit to the Fire & Emergency headquarters, Batmallo various equipment’s like Proximity jackets, Cutter, combi tools, ramps, hydraulic jacks , fire entry suits, breathing apparatus sets, waterjet blankets, (17 No) Quick Response Vehicles , (17 No)Multipurpose Fire tenders , (9 No) Regular Fire Tenders at a cumulative cost of Rs 14.48 crores provided to the F&E Dept. under the World Bank funded JTFRP were shown to the CEO ERA and demonstration of these various equipments were made by on the occasion.Project will benefit entire population of the J&K

Later Dr Abid also visited the site for the construction of State of Art Additional Hospital Building at Bone & Joints Hospital, Barzulla, which is being undertaken at a cost of Rs 89 Crores .

Iftikhar Ahmad Wani, Director Technical, JTFRP informed the CEO that the considerable progress has been achieved on the construction of the superstructure of the state of art building which has G+4 structure with modern earthquake resilient technology, the upgradation involves the construction of modular operation theatres ,laminar flow system, TSSU (Theatre Sterile Supply Unit), ICU, Pre & Post Operation care wards , CSSD (Central Sterile Supply Department) , specialized laundry, pneumatic tube system and waste collection system . The sub-project will benefit almost entire population of the Kashmir Division being the only dedicated orthopaedic hospital in Kashmir Division and some parts of Jammu Division,

CEO ERA asked the NPCC (National Project Construction Corporation) which is executing work to further expedite progress of work on the project to ensure that work is completed within set timelines.

Director, Finance, JKERA, Project Manager, Hydraulic, and Project Manager, Transport also accomapined CEOERA/JTFRP during his site visit

A One Day Stakeholders workshop on “Multihazard Risk Assessment in J&K” and various web based tools developed under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) for Strengthening of Disaster Management Capacity was organised by Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project at SKICC Srinagar

Workshop was organised with an objective to sensitize all the stakeholders about the findings of the study on “Multihazard Risk Assessment in Jammu and Kashmir” conducted under the World Bank funded JTFRP and the various virtual tools of DSS (Decision Support System) IOFS (Integrated Operational Forecasting System) DRDB (Disaster Risk Database) developed under the JTFR project for the scientific and accurate forecasting of natural disasters like Floods, Flash Floods, Avalanches and Landslides in the Natural Disaster prone Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh .

Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah (IAS), Chief Executive Officer, JKERA/JTFRP in his inaugural address highlighted the need for organising the workshop. Giving the backdrop of scenario of natural disasters in J&K Dr. Abid said that Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh owing to their geographic location are prone to various natural disasters like floods, landslides, earthquakes etc which have been occurring at frequent intervals and causing immense damage to life and property. He added that a comprehensive study on the “ Multihazard Risk Assessment In J&K” has been conducted under the World Bank funded JTFRP has been followed by the development of various web-based tools for scientific forecasting of natural disasters which include IOFS (Integrated Operational Forecasting System) , DRDB (Disaster Risk Database) and DSS (Decision Support System) which will be installed at the U.T level Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) at Ompura , Budgam which is being constructed by JKERA at a cost of Rs 38.88 Crores under the World Bank funded JTFRP.

Pandurang K.Pole (IAS) Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir in his keynote address said that JKERA under the World Bank funded JTFR project has done a commendable job in the reconstruction of critical infrastructure that had been damaged during the 2014 floods in J&K. He further said that under the study on “Multihazard Risk Assessment” JTFRP has taken a comprehensive vulnerability study of all the natural disasters in J&K that would be vital to strengthening of Disaster preparedness and mitigation in J&K.

Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir added that floods of 2014 has taught us that mitigation of natural disasters in J&K needs to taken on top priority and participation of all stakeholders and public awareness is vital to achieving that objective

Muhammad Ajaz, District Development Commissioner, (IAS) said that organising of the workshop on the theme of Multihazard Risk Assessment in J&K is need of the hour as it builds our capacities in the area of disaster management and provides avenues for strengthening of stakeholder participation. He said that various web-based forecasting tools developed under JTFRP would be pivotal towards achieving

Sujit Kumar (IPS) DIG, Central, Kashmir said that coordinated effort from all the stakeholders is crucial to strengthening of resilience to natural disasters. He said law enforcement agencies are always first to respond in eventuality of a natural disaster and shared his experiences of various such incidents with the audience.

Deepak Singh, Deputy Team leader, World Bank who also joined workshop via virtual mode said that workshop will help stakeholders in the better implementation of various tools developed by JTFRP under World Bank funded project.

Nazim Zai Khan (KAS) Secretary, to Government, DMRRR hailed JTFRP for having undertaken a professional study in the field of Disaster resilience and expressed the hope that it would develop capacities of the line departments in strengthening disaster management in the U.T.

Under World Bank funded JTFRP had engaged a consultancy namely RMSI private limited for conducting a study on the “ Multihazard Risk Assessment ” in the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh which involved the physical vulnerability survey of 42,000 structures social vulnerability of 30,000 households across the two UTs and the procurement of high resolution DTM (Digital Terrain Model) for flood prone areas of the UTs.

During course of a day long workshop presentations were made by the disaster management experts of M/S RMSI private limited a consultancy which has been engaged by JTFRP for preparation of the assessment study.

Workshop was also attended by Director Planning & Coordination JTFRP, Chief Engineer R&B, Kashmir, Chief Engineer I&FC, Kashmir, Director, Kashmir JKERA, Director Technical, JTFRP, Director Finance, JKERA, Chief Engineer, Srinagar Smart City,Nodal Officer of Emergency Operations Centre, Srinagar, Officers from the Dept. of Disaster Management Relief, Rehablitation and Reconstruction, District Administrations of various Districts, Dept. of Ecology ,Environment and Remote Sensing, Academicians from University of Kashmir, NIT, SKAUST-K, Experts from the IIT, Mumbai and NIDM also joined workshop via virtual mode.

Er. Shakti Sagar, Director, Kashmir JKERA was today given a warm send off on attaining the age of superannuation from the Govt. Service after having served in different capacities in various Departments and agencies across J&K for around 36 years.

An alumni of Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirapalli (Trichy), Tamil Nadu Er. Shakti Sagar completed his Bachelors in civil engineering in the year 1984 and soon after completion of his degree he joined Gammon India Limited as an engineer and worked in the company for around 18 months and gained hands on experience of field with the company.

Shakti Sagar joined R&B (PWD) as Junior Engineer in the year 1986 and his first posting was as J.E in stage-II of Chennani Hydel Power Project. In 1991 Shakti qualified the A.E examination conducted by JKPSC and was posted as A.E on Arterial Expressway Corridor project in Jammu City and he remained associated with the 2.5 km long flyover till its completion.

He was subsequently transferred and posted in Jammu Development Authority as AEE were he played key role in completion of various projects like Kala Kendra, Vikram Chowk, Bahu Plaza 2nd phase, ,renovation of Bahu fort etc

From 2001 to 2012 Shakti was posted in JKPCC were he was associated with various key infrastructure projects executed by JKPCC viz: 440 mtrs span Katha bridge at Akhnoor, 755 mtrs span 4th Tawi bridge corridor

In 2012 Er. Sagar was promoted as Executive Engineer and posted in J&KERA, Jammu which was then executing the Asian Development Bank funded JKUSDIP (Jammu and Kashmir Urban Sector Development Investment Programme). Known for his hard work and meticulous method of working Er. Shakti Sagar played a key role in the completion of flagship projects under JKUSDIP which included Construction of Vikram Chowk Flyover, Construction of car parking facility at City Chowk, Jammu .

He also served Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board where he remained associated with cable car and other developmental projects executed by the Shrine Board .In 2020 he was promoted and transferred as Superintending Enginner, PWD (R&B) Udhampur, Reasi circle .

In October,2021 Er Shakti Sagar was elevated to the post of Chief Engineer and posted as Director, Kashmir, J&KERA where he attained the age of superannuation from the Govt. service today.

Lieutenant Governor , Shri Manoj Sinha today flagged- off the first batch of 34 No ALS (All Life Support ) ambulances procured under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project at District Hospital , Gandhinagar, Jammu.

68 ALS (All Life Support) ambulances have been procured at a cumulative cost of ₹ 24.37 under the CERC (Contingency Emergency Response) component of the World Bank funded JTFRP for the strengthening of the pre-hospital emergency services for the people living in remotest parts of J&K

These ALS ambulances are fully equipped with various lifesaving medical equipment’s like, inbuilt aswell as portable oxygen cylinders, suction pumps, ECG monitors, NIDT Syringe pump, Transport Ventilator (Portable), Defibrillator, Auto loader collapsible stretcher, Scoop –Stretcher, Spine board with straps and head blocks, wheelchair, nebuliser machine, suction system, pulse-Oximeter, Glucometer and cool and warm box for medicines and blood.

The availability of these latest ambulances in hospitals would provide the much needed pre-hospital emergency services to the population of around 15-17 lacs living in various areas far flung areas across the Union Territory.

“The availability of the All Life Support ambulance in our hospital was much needed as we did not have such a facility for the transportation of patients for specialised treatment in district or a tertiary care hospitals, Now with the availability of this facility in our hospital I am sure we will be able to save many precious lives “ said Aatta Khan resident of Kandimarg, Kulgam

“ Being located on the Srinagar- Sonmarg road we in our hospital usually witness high number of accident cases and the ALS ambulances provided to us would help in timely transportation of the seriously injured patients to the nearest tertiary care hospital thus help in saving the precious human lives “ said Dr Riyaz, Ahmad, Zonal Block Medical Officer, Gund, Ganderbal.

A Two Day Virtual Workshop on the theme of “Emergency Operation Management & The Role of Emergency Operations Centre in Emergency Management” was organized by the World Bank for the capacity building of the J&K ERA/JTFRP which has recently started the execution of work on the construction of a State of Art Rs 34.88 crore (Emergency Operations Centre) at Ompura, Budgam under the World Bank funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project.

Er.Basharat Ahmad Kawoosa, Director Technical, JTFRP in his inaugural address said “The workshop has been organized at an opportune time as the work in U.T level EOC is in its initial stage and the learnings from the workshop can be incorporated in further fine tuning the design of EOC”. He said that the workshop will further build capacities of participants in the sphere of emergency operation management.

Peeyush Ramawatar Sekhsaria, Disaster Management Expert, World Bank while speaking about the objectives of the workshop said that World Bank as part of strengthening the technical capacity to respond effectively and timely to an impending crisis under the ongoing disaster recovery projects in J&K and Uttrakhand has funded the establishment of the EOC (Emergency Operations Centers) in the U.T and State respectively. He said the workshop is being organized for the E.A’s (Executing Agencies) UDRP & JTFRP to help them in the finalization of good design for their respective EOCs.

He also introduced the resource persons for the workshop Balaji Singh Chawhan, Senior Disaster Management Expert, Kishan Sanku , Disaster Management Expert, and Faisal Illiyas, Disaster Management Expert professional expert from the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Balaji Singh Chawhan, Sr. Disaster Management Expert having an experience of more than 30 years in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction with USAID, UNDP, UNICEF, etc in the session on the Concept and Structure of Ideal EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) said “EOC is a physical location where information & resources are coordinated to manage the emergency situations effectively”. Chawhan said that the EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) has to be structurally stable, effectively manageable and must have operational integrity”. He also delved at length on the subject of MAC – Multi Agency Coordination which is pivotal to the effective management of the emergency situations and on the ideal organizational structure of the EOC (Emergency Operations Centre)

Kishan Sanku, Disaster Management, Consultant in his session on the early warning systems, public information management, communication coordination, search & rescue, relief operations, and logistical arrangements briefed participants about the various latest tools of communication like, Satellite phones, HAM radio , VSAT, Satellite based Mobile Data Voice Terminal (SBMDVT) ,Cell Broadcasting, National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) which have been found to be very useful in restoring the lines of communication in case of several hard hitting natural disasters like cyclones , floods etc.

Faisel Illiyas, Disaster Management professional from the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority in his session on the technological solutions to the emergency operations made a technical presentation on the latest tools used in the state of Andhra Pradesh for the effective operation of the EOC which include: One touch video system, WEBEOC, Weather warning systems, Unified Command for Action, Data storage and its retrieval for future use, Geographic Information System Lab, Integrated Operational Dashboard, Forecasting and Warning systems, Wireless Emergency Alert Broadcast,

The two-day workshop was attended virtually by Er. Shakti Sagar, Director, Kashmir, J&KERA,,Er. Amir Ali, Nodal Officer, EOC, more than 80 participants from J&KERA,JTFRP various stakeholder agencies and line departments like U.T DRF, I&FC, SMC, Fire & Emergency Depts as well as the officers and consultants of UDRP (Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project).

Workshop concluded with Q&A sessions in which the participants asked various questions to the resource persons about the design requirements of EOC and various operational challenges in smooth functioning of EOC.