Syed Maajid Rashid Andrabi
The onset of winter brings with it a set of problems for the people. Now these people on the one hand have an option to rely on their ‘own planned ways’ to tackle them or trust the claims of the government that “necessary steps have been taken to meet any kind of contingency”.
Contingency-planning refers to the ways by which the authorities expect to dodge or meet any unfavourable event, if there are probabilities of its occurrence. Effective contingency planning involves estimating when an unfavourable event is most likely to occur, assessing its impact and devising steps so as to reduce or mitigate the sufferings of the people.
Be it planning the sufficient stock of food items that the people might need or the distribution of the basic necessities or maintaining connectivity, everything comes under carrying out the contingency plans as and when required.
When we take a cursory look at the past the miserable conditions which the people suffered irrespective of policies being drafted for meeting out the contingencies, raises a question about the basis for these policies. With a view to properly implement the policies and to get the desired results, it is must that the
authorities understand certain factors that play a dominant role in contingency planning.
Going with the census 2011 figures, the population statistics for the state stands at 12,548,926, out of which the population living in rural areas is 9,134,820 while that of in urban areas is only a mere 3,414,106. Getting a fair detail of demand and supply conditions for the urban areas is usually easy for the government due to the fact that these areas lie within the municipality limits. Thus the trends in the demand and supply functions for these areas could be studied and monitored more efficiently than for the rural areas which usually lie far from the governing town area committees. These areas need a significant level of effort to arrive at their requirements.
Now, looking at the distribution in rural areas through the prism of policies formulated for urban areas will provide partial and inefficient results. Thus, the first and the foremost step that the govt should take
to address any sort of contingency is to devise plans specifically. Getting the demand requirements is extremely necessary for the next step: to maintain the sufficient stock of materials which in fact should be more
than what is required in this regard.
‘Counter Impact’
Ensuring connectivity so that it is easy to reach out for helping the needy should also be of prime focus. For this purpose the necessity to develop better infrastructure as well as improved maintenance of roads leading to key areas should be taken under immediate consideration. The trigger-points that give an indication about the occurrence of a possible contingency should be placed carefully and monitored continuously to view their status.
Furthermore, the establishment of departments that could provide training to youth to provide any sort of help.
Contingency periods are hectic; cause a lot of damage and have long-lasting impressions on the human beings. They are usually marked by huge monetary as well as human losses. So, reducing or minimizing their impact should be the prime responsibility of the government to ensure the well being of its people.
Moreover, with a view to achieve the desired results these plans must be formulated keeping in view the most drastic conditions which could ever happen and evaluating their impact on the human lives.
It is also worth to mention that the counter impact of each contingency plan should also be evaluated and the plan should be feasible to implement. The government should strive to formulate these plans and implement them in the most efficient manner then, and prevent losses and help people in recuperating quickly.
(The author is a student of management at Lovely Professional University)
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