Santa is exasperated as he talks to Banta.
“Banta, I tell you, trying to get our community’s small check dam proposal for the gadhera near the school approved by the SDMA is like being on a chakri!”
“First, I met one young lady, Ms Rawat; yes Ms Deepshikha Rawat.”
“I explained everything – our village, the gadhera‘s history, our plan.”
“She seemed to understand and asked for some documents.”
“By the time I got the documents ready and went back, she was gone!”
“Her contract had finished.”
“Oh dear,” says Banta.
“Then,” Santa continues, his voice rising, “I met Mr. Joshi, also on contract.”
“I had to explain everything all over again!”
“He had different ideas, asked for different papers.”
“I ran around, got those.”
“Then, he got a better job elsewhere and left!”
“Now, there’s a new gentleman, Mr. Bisht, who just joined last week.”
“He says he needs time to understand the files.”
“My proposal, which everyone in the village agrees is vital for the school’s safety, is stuck in this never-ending cycle of new faces and fresh explanations!”
Banta shakes his head.
“Santa, your experience, though frustrating, highlights a fundamental flaw.”
“Disaster management isn’t just about making plans during peacetime; it’s about having the sustained expertise to vet, guide, and support community initiatives like yours.”
“This requires officials who are not only trained but also have the experience and the assurance of continuity to see things through.”
“But these temporary officers, they try their best, I suppose,” Santa concedes.
“Many do, Santa,” Banta agrees.
“But ‘trying their best’ for a short contractual period, often without deep prior experience or the security of a permanent role, is not a substitute for dedicated, long-term professional expertise.”
“Imagine if the doctors in a hospital kept changing every six months, each new one having to relearn every patient’s history.”
“How effective would the treatment be?”
He adds, “Building a disaster-resilient Uttarakhand needs a team of ‘Suraksha Ke Shilpkaar‘ who are permanent, highly skilled, and grow with the institution.”
“They need to be the repositories of knowledge, the consistent guides for people like you.”
“When we rely on a constantly shifting sand of contractual staff, who are often underpaid and always looking for more stable opportunities, we cannot build that strong edifice of safety.”
“We get delays, inconsistent advice, and a general lack of proactive, long-term strategic thinking.”
“So, this ‘temporary expert’ system is actually making our permanent safety weak?” Santa reflects.
“It’s like we need a full-time, experienced ‘mistri’ for our state’s safety, not just daily-wage helpers who leave when the day is done.”
Banta nods.
“A very apt way to put it, Santa.”
“For the District, State, and National Disaster Management Authorities to be truly effective as mandated by the Disaster Management Act, they must be staffed by a core of permanent, qualified, and well-compensated professionals who see disaster management as a career, not just a temporary posting.”
“Only then can they provide the consistent, high-quality support our communities need to build their resilience.”
संता – बंता की इस जुगलबन्दी से आज हमने क्या सीखा:-
- आपदा प्रबन्धन प्राधिकरणों की अस्थाई मानव संसाधन पर अत्यधिक निर्भरता के कारण नीतियों के क्रियान्वयन में निरंतरता का आभाव, देरी व समुदाय आधारित कार्यक्रमों की अनदेखी होती है / Over-reliance on contractual staff in DMAs leads to inconsistent policy implementation, delays, and lack of sustained support for community initiatives.
- आपदा प्रबन्धन सम्बन्धित विशिष्ट कार्यो के सफल संपादन के लिये अनुभवी विशेषज्ञों की आवश्यकता होती है और निरन्तरता में गुणवत्तापरक परिणामो तथा संस्थागत विकास के लिये उनकी सेवाओं का स्थाई होना जरूरी है / Specialized DM tasks require experienced professionals with job security to ensure quality, continuity, and institutional growth.
- विशेषज्ञता के विकास के साथ ही निरन्तरता में अनुभवी व्यक्तियों की सेवायें प्राप्त करने के लिये आपदा प्रबन्धन के लिये स्थाई व समर्पित संवर्ग का होना जरूरी है / A permanent, dedicated cadre for disaster management is essential for building and retaining expertise.
- आपदा प्रबन्धन प्राधिकरणों के अन्तर्गत गुणवत्तापरक, अनुभवी व स्थाई मानव संसाधन पर निवेश का तात्पर्य राष्ट्र की सुरक्षा तथा प्रतिरोध्यता पर निवेश के समतुल्य है / Investing in quality, experienced, and permanent manpower for DMAs is a direct investment in the nation’s safety and resilience.
संता – बंता की यह जुगलबन्दी आपको कैसी लगी, कृपया हमें जरुर बताये
व
इस जुगलबन्दी को बेहतर बनाने के लिये अपने सुझाव अवश्य दें।
हमें हमेशा की तरह आपके सुझावों, प्रतिक्रियाओं व कटाक्षो का बेसब्री से इंतजार रहता हैं और सच मानिये इसी के आधार पर हम अपने आप में, अपनी सोच व रचनात्मकता में सुधार करने को प्रेरित होते हैं।
सो अच्छा – बुरा जैसा आपको महसूस हुवा हो, कमेंट जरुर करते रहें।
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