Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 15: Shocking it may sound but it is a fact that Jammu and Kashmir Government has failed to take seriously the directives of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) about establishment of fully equipped Emergency Operation Centres in every district of the State for ensuring coordination in pooling resources and synchronizing the disaster response.
Had these centres been established even in the identified districts, at least communication link of Srinagar would have not been completely snapped during the recent flood fury.
Reliable sources told EXCELSIOR that several years back the National Disaster Management Authority had directed the Jammu and Kashmir for establishment of a network of Emergency Operation Centres so as to ensure quick response and effective decision making during emergencies.
However, concerned authorities of the State Government earlier remained slept over this important directive of the NDMA and thereafter only defined the role of Emergency Operation Centres in the draft of State Disaster Management Plan in 2011.
Instead of ensuring establishment of these centres of vital importance, the Government again slept over the issue till earlier this year when again half-hearted approach was adopted. “The State Executive Committee in its meeting held on February 6, 2014 under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary, Mohammad Iqbal Khandey gave nod to the establishment of Emergency Operation Centres in Srinagar, Jammu, Kargil and Leh districts and an amount of even Rs 2 crore was sanctioned for each of these four centres”, sources informed.
It was also decided that Emergency Operation Centres in the remaining 18 districts of the State would be established during next financial year (2014-15) in order to ensure prompt response during the disasters, post-disaster relief and rehabilitation operation.
“The seriousness about establishment of even these four Emergency Operation Centres can be gauged from the fact that funds were released to the concerned authorities at the fag end of the 2013-14 financial year—few days before March 31, 2014, despite the fact that Executive Committee had directed establishment of such centres before the closure of financial year”, sources said. Due to this, even these four Emergency Operation Centres could not be established till date.
Similar was the fate of another decision of the Executive Committee about examining the functioning of such centres in the States of Gujarat and Assam, where such centres have been rendering remarkable services during the emergencies and disasters.
As rapid dissemination of information contributes to quick response and effective decision making during emergencies, these Emergency Operation Centres, as per the guidelines of the NDMA, are equipped with phone, fax, wireless and internet, Ham radios, integrated wireless systems, voice logger (computer recorded audio and video facility, automatic recorders for receiving all communication), high-frequency radio telephone, transistorized radio receiver, satellite and computer operational system—GIS and GPS.
Moreover, these EOCs are inter-connected with each other through networking with PCR and Fire Control Rooms.
“Had at least four sanctioned Emergency Operation Centres particularly in Srinagar been established it would have played vital role during the flood fury”, sources said, adding “moreover, EOC would have ensured some sort of communication link of Srinagar with rest of the State”.
Stating that casual approach towards establishment of Emergency Operation Centres should be taken seriously in the aftermath of worst ever natural calamity in the State, sources said, “at least now the guidelines of NDMA should be taken in right earnest and Emergency Operation Centres should be established at least in the districts which are vulnerable to the disasters so that in future they could be put to use”.
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