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Tripura roused

amid predictions of severe natural calamities in future, the Tripura government recently constituted disaster management teams at the village panchayat level and introduced disaster management as a subject in schools. Although the Union government's directive for the initiation of a panchayat level disaster preparedness programme dates back to 2002, it hadn't found favour with the Tripura government till recently, when national seismic advisor A S Arya suggested the immediate formulation of an action plan in this regard. Other north-eastern states like Assam have already started acting in this regard.

According to the Vulnerability Atlas of India, 1997, Tripura comes under the "very high earthquake damage risk-zone' (category v, magnitude 7.0 to 7.5) and faces the danger of "heavy storms and floods'. Geologists say the reason behind this is the sedimentary rock formations in most areas. Experts also categorise the state as cyclonic as it experiences cyclonic winds at speeds up to 198 kilometres (km)/hour.

The Union ministry of urban development (moud) had asked the state government to undertake a sustainable campaign on natural hazard reduction. The government has now accepted the m o ud's recommendations , including a strategy, an action plan and technical guidance for constructing new buildings and