The Director General of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP), Major General Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud has presented a detailed plan on the potential role and digital management of 1 lakh trained Town Defence Party (TDP) volunteers in responding to earthquakes, fires and other sudden disasters in Dhaka, as directed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
He presented the plan during a courtesy meeting with Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu on Tuesday highlighting the potential of the force’s extensive volunteer organisational structure in disaster management alongside progress in its overall reform and capacity-building initiatives, reads a press release.
During the meeting, the Ansar-VDP director general outlined a plan to keep trained TDP volunteers ready at ward, zone and police station levels in Dhaka to respond to earthquakes and other sudden disasters.
The trained volunteers, who are included in the Ansar-VDP’s digital database, will serve as first responders during disasters, taking part in rapid response, rescue operations, relief distribution and other humanitarian rehabilitation activities.
The director general also presented an outline for providing the proposed 1 lakh TDP volunteers with specialised and advanced training in addition to the force’s basic training to deal with earthquakes, fires and other sudden disasters.
The plan aims to establish an effective local disaster response capacity through trained volunteers in different areas of the capital.
The disaster management and relief minister expressed a positive attitude towards the action plan.
He also held a productive discussion on taking necessary measures in coordination with the relevant authorities on how the plan could be implemented.
During the courtesy meeting, the Ansar-VDP director general also briefed the minister on the force’s ongoing reform initiatives, capacity-building efforts and various development programmes.
He highlighted the important role played by Ansar-VDP members in responding to various types of disasters across the country.
He said Ansar-VDP members deployed at the local level in different parts of the country, including coastal areas, have been actively responding to recent floods and other disasters as first responders, coordinating with local administrations in rapid response, rescue operations, relief distribution and various humanitarian activities.
The minister was also briefed on the “Enhancing Environmental Resilience and Adaptive Capacity of Climate Change-Vulnerable Communities” project being implemented by the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force in different parts of the country, including coastal and hilly areas.
Under the project, environmentally friendly plants, Rainwater Harvesting Systems and Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems will soon be installed for local VDP members in Bagerhat, Dinajpur, Barguna and Rangamati, it was informed.
During the meeting, the minister praised the recent development and capacity-building initiatives of the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force.
He particularly thanked the director general for the important role played by Ansar-VDP members in ensuring the smooth, peaceful and secure holding of the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
The meeting also discussed in detail ways to make the direct participation of Ansar-VDP members in disaster response more effective.
The participants exchanged views on various strategies to ensure effective disaster management at the grassroots level through disaster preparedness, rapid response, mitigation activities, rescue operations and coordination with local administrations.
The minister stressed the need to provide all-out cooperation and necessary support to Ansar-VDP members deployed at the grassroots level during any disaster in the country.
If implemented, the action plan will establish an organised network of trained TDP volunteers across different areas of the capital, enabling them to play an important role in rapid local-level response, rescue and humanitarian assistance immediately after earthquakes, fires and other sudden disasters.
