Kendujhar Administration, Tata Steel Hold Off-Site Emergency Mock Drill in Joda
Joda, Oct 15: An off-site emergency mock drill was conducted in Joda on Wednesday by the Kendujhar District Local Crisis Group (LCG) to assess preparedness and response mechanisms for potential chemical emergencies.
The drill, organised under the Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules, 1996, was jointly conducted by the district administration and Tata Steel’s Ferro Alloys Plant, Joda, at the Central Playground.
Barbil Tehsildar and Executive Magistrate Rakesh Kumar Panda supervised the exercise, which simulated an industrial emergency scenario to evaluate coordination among various agencies and emergency responders.
Among those present were Joda Executive Officer Swetapadma Dhal, Barbil Executive Officer Ramesh Chandra Nayak, Deputy Director, Factories & Boilers, Jajpur Division, U.C. Sutar, Assistant Director, Factories & Boilers, Keonjhar, Kedarnath Hansda, and officials from the Bileipada Fire Station.
Representatives from nearby industries, including Jindal Steel & Power and Tata Steel Sponge Iron Plant, also participated in the mock drill.
Officials said the exercise helped assess emergency preparedness, strengthen inter-agency coordination and enhance the capacity to respond effectively to any industrial or chemical accident in the region.
