The Hindu 09.01.2010
New network for disaster management
Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
| Delhi purchasing 100-crore Terrestrial Trunked Radio (Tetra) communication |
Plan to be implemented before Commonwealth Games begin
It will ensure that there are no breakages in communication
NEW DELHI: After the terrorists had planted and exploded bombs in the Capital’s commercial hub of Connaught Place on September 13, 2008, the civil administration officials who rushed there were unable to converse with or even locate each other as their mobile phones were not functioning since the system had got jammed.
To avoid such situations, the Delhi Government is purchasing a Rs.100-crore Terrestrial Trunked Radio (Tetra) communication from HCL Infosystems and Motorola that would help establish the country’s first exclusive Government Radio Network (GRN) and also enable the civil administration to be better prepared for disaster management before the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Since the Tetra network seeks to facilitate swift and secure communication among various government agencies like the Delhi Police, Fire Services, hospitals, Public Works Department and Delhi Transport Corporation, sources say the system would be of great help in any disaster management exercise should the need arise.
By providing an efficient and secure communication link, the system would ensure that there are no breakages in communication, says a senior officer. With this, the civil officials would also get a dedicated system as is available to their counterparts in the police. This technological up-gradation assumes significance since the Delhi Government is engaged in preparation of a disaster management plan for the Commonwealth Games.
As part of the plan, various contingencies have been thought of and the response thereto has been decided.
Detailed plan
In New Delhi district, which houses 25 of Delhi’s 176 vulnerable areas -- as made out in the colour-coded list of Delhi Police -- the Administration has made a detailed disaster management plan. The district has hotels in which a number of Games delegates and officials would be staying. It is home to six venues for the Games namely Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium (hockey), SPM Aquatic Centre (swimming and diving), Talkatora Stadium (boxing), India Gate lawns (archery), Pragati Maidan (logistics venue) and Shivaji Stadium (training venue).
Besides natural calamities and disasters such as earthquakes, the disaster management plan is drawn around contingencies such as violence and terrorism, fires, chemical, biological or atomic attacks, transport hazards such as metro railway breakdown and service disruptions such as power failures.
To tackle any of these contingencies, the disaster management plan of New Delhi district envisages deployment of a variety of equipment such as fire hydrants and extinguishers. It lists the nearest fire stations and their numbers, how the volunteers and Delhi police would ensure crowd control and how along with the Fire Service they would carry out the evacuation.
As per the plan, traffic management would be left to the traffic police that would make use of FM radio to make announcements to the public at large on avoiding disaster-hit areas.
Transportation of victims would be the responsibility of the Transport Department and for this nodal officers and alternate nodal officers have been identified for every venue. Then a health plan has been drawn up and it includes the number of personnel to be deployed at every venue as also the names of the nearest hospital or dispensary where the victims would be taken in the event of any disaster.
