With the onset of the southwest monsoon, the Tripura government has ramped up its preparedness to avert any crisis, drawing lessons from last year's devastating floods.

Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, addressing a high-level review meeting at the Secretariat on Wednesday, underlined that disaster response is not just about government efforts but a social responsibility.

Speaking at the Secretariat’s conference hall, the Chief Minister urged officials from various departments to prioritize inter-departmental coordination to deal effectively with monsoon-induced disasters.

“We must learn from past experiences and identify existing gaps in our preparedness,” he said. “Only then can we ensure timely and efficient services to the people during emergencies.”

Dr. Saha advised District Magistrates to actively involve local clubs and community organizations in disaster preparedness and to maintain regular communication with them. He also stressed public awareness, asking officials to sensitize citizens about safeguarding important documents, cash, and valuables before disaster strikes.

The Chief Minister laid special emphasis on stockpiling of essential medicines, anti-venom injections, bleaching and halogen powders in hospitals, ensuring the safety of evacuees’ properties in relief camps and considering drone surveillance if needed for better monitoring.

He highlighted that communication breakdowns are common during disasters and pushed for wider deployment of HAM radios. Infrastructure readiness, including the repair and functionality of footbridges and sluice gates on dams, was also discussed.

The CM further instructed that medical teams should be pre-formed for rapid deployment, continuous surveillance of embankments should be carried out, attention must be paid to the rescue of animals alongside humans, ensuring uninterrupted supply of clean drinking water and food in shelter homes is critical and risk-prone areas should be pre-identified with nearby shelters prepared in advance.

“Public cooperation is vital during crises,” he said, calling for awareness drives and instructing local police stations to remain alert. He also emphasized the need for swift damage assessment once a disaster occurs.

Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha echoed the CM’s sentiments and emphasized the importance of using previous experiences to strengthen future responses. He called for active monitoring by district administrations, readiness of helpline centers, and coordination across power, food supply, health, and disaster response sectors.

At the beginning of the meeting, secretaries from departments such as Revenue, Power, PWD, Education, Health, Disaster Management, Food, Forest, Panchayat, Social Welfare, Agriculture, and Urban Development briefed the Chief Minister on their respective roles in monsoon preparedness.

DGP Anurag and the District Magistrates also presented detailed reports on their plans and arrangements for the upcoming season.