State Disaster Response Force close to deployment

Sources said the government is also finalising a logo for the force, which is being raised on the lines of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). The personnel in the Force have been undergoing rigorous training since last year.

Like that of NDRF, the functional uniforms proposed by the State would be dungarees in orange with the words ‘TNDRF’ prominently visible on the backside. The proposed logo would also find a place in the uniform.

The uniform would be made of water repealing, anti-static and skin friendly polyester cotton fabric with an ergonomic design. All the parameters regarding the fabric should be certified either by a national or a renowned international laboratory, sources said.

“The supplier will be asked to provide the uniform in four sizes. An open tender specifying the details has been published already,” the source told DT Next. The State government has earmarked as much as Rs 15 crore from the State Disaster Relief Fund towards capacity building and procurement of communication and rescue equipment.

At present, every district has a small disaster response force that is trained by Tamil Nadu Special Police (TSP), but it is not equipped enough to handle major natural disasters.

Once set up, the TNDRF would respond to emergency situations, either natural or manmade, and will have a separate control room at its disposal for state-wide communication.