The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Disaster management program itself facing disaster due to shortage of ninety percent equipment and long vacancy in key post.

Especially vacancy in post of director administration and acute shortage of emergency equipments created stagnancy in cyclone preparedness programme and seriously hampering disaster management.

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BRCS) and Cyclone Preparedness Program (CPP) sources said there were 42,675 CPP volunteers divided into 2845 units of 15 members including 5 female and a team leader in 274 unions of 32 upazilas under 11 districts marked as most risky cyclone and seasonal storm-prone areas of coastal region.

Sources said after the devastating cyclones of sixties International League of Red Cross Societies (ILRCS) in collaboration with Swedish Red Cross Society started cyclone preparedness program in 1966 in cyclone-prone coastal regions of the then East Pakistan as a part of pre and post disaster management preparations.

ILRCS funded the CPP in Bangladesh until 1973 and then Bangladesh government took responsibilities for continuation of CPP under a joint agreement between the CPP and Bangladesh Red Cross/Crescent Society (BRCS)

As a program of BRCS, two bodies named policy committee for making policy and collecting fund and implementation board for implementing and supervising execution of the program formed to run CPP smoothly.

Later ministry of disaster management, relief and rehabilitation authorized for over all control of the both organs.

However, the vital post of director administration of implementation board became vacant and in 2002, the 38th meeting of the implementation board suggested to fill the vacant posts including director by giving promotion. Then the ministry formed a five member standing sub-committee to review the and execute the suggestion and suggested to fill the post of director administration of implementation board by promoting deputy director Sohel Amin Sikdar to that post.

This suggestion was placed in 39th meeting of the ministry held on January 22, 2004, the chairman of BRCS alleged lack of coordination between BRCS and CPP and demanding direct control over CPP, he claimed that separate existence of CPP created problems in fund collection.

The meeting ended without any final decision about the organogram, salary, benifits and filling vacancies of the officials and the vital post of director administration of CPP remained vacant.

Swapan Kumar Mitra, deputy director of Barisal regional CPP said that CPP volunteers of Bangladesh achieved worldwide appreciations in successful disaster management.