Hot seat - Bichitrananda Das,

Managing director of Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority

Tremors were felt in various parts of the state on Wednesday after the earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra island, prompting an ocean-wide tsunami alert and evacuation orders to clear people away from the coast. Though India withdrew the alert that evening, people are still jittery. If such an emergency situation arises again, is Odisha prepared to deal with it?

We have identified nearly 328 villages within two kms of the coastline that are considered vulnerable to tsunami. Whenever an earthquake under the sea is reported, I start receiving information regarding it from the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services in Hyderabad. All under-sea earthquakes may not trigger a tsunami and even if there is a one, the intensity is not always severe. After the earthquake hit Indonesia, a tsunami had been triggered but as per our information, there was no threat to the Odisha coast.

But is the state well prepared?

Of course! We had recently conducted a mock tsunami drill in six coastal districts of Odisha. At present, the state has 200 multipurpose cyclone shelters, located within 10 km from the coastline, and tagged to villages within a two-km radius. Once a tsunami alert is sounded, people can be evacuated and taken to these centres or on top of highrises. We are constructing 163 more such cyclone shelters where people can be kept safe in the event of a natural disaster.

What about a place like Puri where you have thousands of people living by the sea? Do we have a shelter there?

No, (there is) no necessity. We have cyclone shelters only in rural areas. In Puri, there are several tall buildings where people can take refuge.

Isn’t it the government’s responsibility to evacuate and provide shelter to people in such a vulnerable town?

The government can’t provide shelter to everyone. During emergencies, people can use public buildings such as schools, colleges or government offices as asylum.

The tremors on Wednesday created a great deal of panic in the state and media reports about a tsunami alert added to the tension. Why didn’t your office try to ease the situation by informing the media that there was no threat to the Odisha coast?

There is a manpower crunch. We have a dearth of people who can do these jobs. It was more important to inform the disaster managers first. However, we had notified the All India Radio.

There are allegations that the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (Odraf) does not function properly during crises. What is the reason?

It is wrong to say that it does not function properly. Its effort has been commendable. However, there are nearly 200 vacancies in Odraf. We have all the modern equipment but we lack trained manpower to handle them.

lIf there is a manpower crunch in your organisation, why have you not informed the government about filling up the vacancies?

See, more people would mean higher costs for the government. Some of the senior rank officers have already retired or been transferred to other organisations after being promoted.

The state is prone to cyclones, floods and other natural disasters. Why is there a delay in setting up the Doppler radar system?

The state government has allocated Rs 17 crore for the project and the land has been earmarked. The system would be set up in three locations in Odisha. However, the Centre is yet to prepare the design for the building. You must understand that a 15-tonne machine is to be installed atop five-storey buildings. If you don’t have the proper design, you cannot construct the building. Secondly, the Government of India has to procure the radar from other countries. I am told that one of the Industrial Training Institutes is also developing such type of radar. These issues would be sorted out soon.

Former deputy general of the Geological Survey of India, P.N. Nayak, has observed a marginal tilt in quite a few seashore buildings in Puri. He has attributed the phenomenon to the tectonic movements in the aftermath of the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra. Are you aware of it?

No, I am not aware of any such development. Besides, I am not competent enough to comment on it.

Way to the top

Soft-spoken and diligent, Bichitrananda Das (59) is the managing director of the Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA)

Das was born and brought up in Puri. He completed his matriculation from the Puri Zilla School and did his graduation from the SCS College, Puri, with political science as his honours subject. He was also elected as the president of the college students’ union

Das then went on to do his postgraduation from the Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, in the same subject. After becoming an OAS officer in 1974, he got his first posting as the block development officer of Kujang and to his credit, handled the relief work during the floods in 1982

Das was elevated to the rank of an IAS officer for his brilliant work record

Das has held several key positions such as the tehsildar of Barpalli (Sambalpur) and Balangir, general manager of Konark Television for about a year, joint secretary and additional secretary of the revenue and disaster management (RDM) department and registrar of the Utkal University for about 10 months between 2006-07

He became the first director of rehabilitation and resettlement wing of the government after which he was appointed as the collector of Koraput district in 2009 and then as special secretary of the RDM department before he was shifted to the OSDMA

What would you have been had you not been in government service?

Since childhood, my only ambition was to become a barrister. Most prominent personalities in India such as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi or closer home, Madhusudan Das, were barristers. They inspired me greatly. However, for a bar at law degree, I would have needed to study in London. But due to certain unavoidable circumstances, my father was unable to send me there. After that, I made up my mind to settle for a government job. So, had things gone the way I had planned, perhaps, I would have been a barrister today instead of being in government service.