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United News of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Shah calls for zero-casualty approach, tackling root causes of disasters
New Delhi, June 16 (UNI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday emphasised the need to adopt a zero-casualty approach in the face of disasters, asserting that while the country is well-prepared to handle such situations, it must also address their root causes. Addressing the annual conference of relief commissioners and disaster response forces of states and Union Territories, Shah identified climate change and global warming as the primary drivers of natural disasters, calling for environmental conservation to be made an integral part of disaster mitigation strategies, a Home Ministry statement said. 'Climate change and global warming are the primary causes of disasters, and therefore, we must move forward with environmental conservation as a core component,' Shah said. He highlighted the significant efforts made over the past 11 years, including the launch of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), the proposal for the creation of 'Pro-Planet People,' and India's key role in establishing the International Solar Alliance and the Global Biofuel Alliance. Shah also underlined India's contributions to global disaster risk reduction, citing Prime Minister Modi's 10-point agenda, the formation of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), and the establishment of a G-20 task force on disaster risk reduction. 'Without environmental conservation, it is impossible to completely prevent disasters,' Shah said, adding that protecting the environment is essential to safeguarding the future. During the conference, Shah asked every relief commissioner to prepare a district disaster management plan for their districts in their state within 90 days, stating that 'until a district has its disaster management plan in place, we cannot respond swiftly in the face of a disaster'. He further emphasised that a lightning action plan also needs to be formulated soon. Highlighting that several states are yet to implement the Incident Response System, Shah added, 'The Central government has allocated a good budget for the expansion and modernisation of fire services as well. NDMA has issued 38 guidelines and 34 Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) on cross-cutting areas, and it is important that these reach the district level'. He said that a strong action plan should also be developed to tackle heat waves, and its timetable should be based on the actual experience of heat conditions. He mentioned that the government has also formulated several plans for the future. 'We want to make inter-state mock drills an annual programme, and this would not be possible without the cooperation of the states. We also want to link Start-up India with the development of disaster relief technology. We have undertaken the task of training one lakh community volunteers, 20 percent of whom are women. Alongside this, we have launched the Yuva Aapda Mitra (Young Disaster Friends) scheme with an investment of Rs 470 crore,' the Home Minister said. Shah said that in the past 10 years, 5the government has achieved several milestones in the field of disaster management. 'In 2018-19, we also announced the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar (Disaster Management Award). Every state should send nominations for this. For National Cyclone Risk Mitigation, we have worked successfully in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The NDRF has also been strengthened — its strength has increased from eight battalions in 2006 to 16 battalions today. In addition, the NDMA has also initiated night-time mock drills in Leh-Ladakh'. The Home Minister said that due to climate change and global warming, the entire world is grappling with disasters today. He said that in the past 10 years, because of the contributions of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), India is moving towards becoming a global leader in the field of disaster management. He highlighted that NDMA has done commendable work in policy frameworks, research, disseminating various training materials, developing apps, and overall coordination. Adding that NDRF has earned nationwide recognition, built a strong reputation, and gained respect. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has also played a significant role in this structure. Shah said that whenever the history of India's disaster response is written, these 10 years of the Modi government will be recorded as a transformative decade. He said that in the past 10 years, the government has achieved significant milestones in the four areas of capacity building, speed, efficiency, and accuracy in disaster management. 'Not only has our capacity to handle disasters been increased, but it has also been enhanced and extended to the tehsil level. Attention has been given to speed, as saving lives during a disaster is of utmost importance,' Shah said. The Home Minister noted that efficiency has been improved through the use of cutting-edge technology and the dedicated approach of disaster response forces. Additionally, by providing accurate forecasting and early warnings, society has been made aware and successfully engaged in relief and rescue operations. He said that during the Modi government's tenure, there has been a significant shift in the approach related to disaster management. Earlier, the approach was relief-centric, but today, the goal of 'zero casualty' has been successfully achieved, and the focus has shifted from relief-centric to a comprehensive and integrated approach. Highlighting the achievements in the development of early warning systems, Shah said, 'Timely preparedness has been integrated with the calendar, a scientific approach has been evolved for active prevention and mitigation, and we have also achieved significant success in disaster risk reduction'. He said that by pursuing the goal of 'Minimum Casualty', the government has amazed the entire world by achieving the target of 'Zero Casualty' in 10 years. UNI RBE PRS
Economic Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Economic Times
Cities have failing infra and poor crowd management SOPs say Urban planners
An evening of celebration for RCB turned into a tragedy at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a stampede claimed 11 lives, highlighting the cracks in the city's civic planning and crowd control systems. Citizens and experts alike have questioned the government's preparedness and the promise of 'Brand Bengaluru' to handle large gatherings, especially at high-footfall venues. Urban planners told ET that not just Bengaluru, but many civic agencies in Indian cities fail to have robust standing operating procedures (SOPs) for crowd management. 'We tend to employ very ad hoc measures to manage crowds, poor fencing, lack of proper pathways, poor lighting and lack of emergency services,' said Ujjvala Krishna, urban researcher at WELL labs. She added that there is a clear lack of foresight in building long-term infrastructure that anticipates such scale.'Bengaluru doesn't have an active master plan. The Regional and Metropolitan Area Master Plan for 2031 is still a draft. It's more like a reference. Other major metros like Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai have active master plans,' Krishna said. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which makes rules for handling disasters in India, released a guide in 2014 to help state governments, local bodies, event organisers, and police manage large crowds safely. The guideline titled 'Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering' suggests that before any big event, authorities should do a Rapid Venue Assessment to check preparedness. This includes an 11-point checklist evaluating aspects such as disaster preparedness, stakeholder coordination, crowd flow, safety, emergency response, ability to manage complexity, and potential for crowd growth, all rated on a scale from poor to best in urban planner from Bengaluru with over 30 years of experience in architecture and urban design said civic bodies are supposed to have SOPs. 'It's a combination problems of law and order, traffic management, and civic bodies. I don't think they have individual SOPs or even a common one,' he said, suggesting that such celebrations can be delayed by a day or two and organised with proper planning. The NDMA has also issued Guidelines on the Incident Response System (IRS), to ensure that there is a structured and coordinated emergency response. The guideline emphasises the need to encourage research on crowd behaviour and psychology to better inform planning and risk mitigation at mass urban planner said mismanagement of crowds is not an isolated incident. 'We've had enough of these events to actually learn from them. The answer lies in capacitating our governance systems to deliver better,' the expert said, requesting is not the first time a stampede has claimed lives. Earlier this year on February 15, a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station resulted in 18 people losing their lives. During Maha Kumbh in Prayaraj on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, where lakhs arrived to take a holy dip at the Sangam, 30 died and over 60 were injured despite advisories and emergency policy advisors also highlighted that cities continue to build for lower capacity than needed. They pointed out that metro cities have inadequate road infrastructure, pavements barely exist, and public mobility services are congested and worn down.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Cities have failing infra and poor crowd management SOPs say Urban planners
An evening of celebration for RCB turned into a tragedy at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where a stampede claimed 11 lives, highlighting the cracks in the city's civic planning and crowd control systems. Citizens and experts alike have questioned the government's preparedness and the promise of 'Brand Bengaluru' to handle large gatherings, especially at high-footfall venues. Urban planners told ET that not just Bengaluru, but many civic agencies in Indian cities fail to have robust standing operating procedures (SOPs) for crowd management. 'We tend to employ very ad hoc measures to manage crowds, poor fencing, lack of proper pathways, poor lighting and lack of emergency services,' said Ujjvala Krishna, urban researcher at WELL labs. She added that there is a clear lack of foresight in building long-term infrastructure that anticipates such scale. 'Bengaluru doesn't have an active master plan. The Regional and Metropolitan Area Master Plan for 2031 is still a draft. It's more like a reference. Other major metros like Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai have active master plans,' Krishna said. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which makes rules for handling disasters in India, released a guide in 2014 to help state governments, local bodies, event organisers, and police manage large crowds safely. The guideline titled 'Managing Crowd at Events and Venues of Mass Gathering' suggests that before any big event, authorities should do a Rapid Venue Assessment to check preparedness. This includes an 11-point checklist evaluating aspects such as disaster preparedness, stakeholder coordination, crowd flow, safety, emergency response, ability to manage complexity, and potential for crowd growth, all rated on a scale from poor to best in class. Another urban planner from Bengaluru with over 30 years of experience in architecture and urban design said civic bodies are supposed to have SOPs. 'It's a combination problems of law and order, traffic management, and civic bodies. I don't think they have individual SOPs or even a common one,' he said, suggesting that such celebrations can be delayed by a day or two and organised with proper planning. The NDMA has also issued Guidelines on the Incident Response System (IRS), to ensure that there is a structured and coordinated emergency response. The guideline emphasises the need to encourage research on crowd behaviour and psychology to better inform planning and risk mitigation at mass gatherings. Another urban planner said mismanagement of crowds is not an isolated incident. 'We've had enough of these events to actually learn from them. The answer lies in capacitating our governance systems to deliver better,' the expert said, requesting anonymity. This is not the first time a stampede has claimed lives. Earlier this year on February 15, a stampede at the New Delhi Railway Station resulted in 18 people losing their lives. During Maha Kumbh in Prayaraj on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, where lakhs arrived to take a holy dip at the Sangam, 30 died and over 60 were injured despite advisories and emergency preparations. Urban policy advisors also highlighted that cities continue to build for lower capacity than needed. They pointed out that metro cities have inadequate road infrastructure, pavements barely exist, and public mobility services are congested and worn down.
Indian Express
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Haryana to conduct state-wide mock drill today, 15-min blackout from 8 pm
Haryana will now conduct the state-wide mock drill – civil defence exercise — under Operation Shield on Saturday across all 22 districts to enhance state's emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Scheduled to begin at 5 pm, the drill is being organised under the guidance of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to simulate critical incidents such as air raids, drone attacks, and other wartime scenarios in the light of current national security concerns. Earlier, this mock drill was scheduled for May 29 but was postponed as per MHA instructions. A controlled blackout of 15 minutes will be observed from 8 pm near vital installations, with exception of essential emergency services such as hospitals, fire stations, and police stations. Interacting with media persons here Friday, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sumita Misra said, 'The exercise aims to test existing emergency mechanisms, improve coordination between the civil administration, defence forces, and local communities and to identify areas that need to be strengthened, thus ensuring swift and effective response during any crisis.' Misra said, 'Currently there are around 32,000 civil defence volunteers across Haryana who will contribute in this exercise. All Deputy Commissioners have been directed to call out Civil Defence Volunteers, NSS, NCC, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Home Gaurds, etc. of their respective districts in order to brief them regarding their deployment, duties and exercises to be undertaken.' The key components include drills responding to aerial threats such as air raids and swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), activation of air raid sirens, and testing of control room communication hotlines established with the Indian Air Force. The exercise aligns with the Incident Response System (IRS), which Haryana officially notified on January 28, 2025, under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, providing a structured framework for effective emergency response. All Deputy Commissioners, who are also Chairpersons of District Disaster Management Authorities, along with Commissioners and Superintendents of Police, have been directed to ensure meticulous planning and execution of the exercise in their jurisdictions. 'They have been instructed to submit a detailed Action Taken Reports to the Commandant General, Home Guards, and Director, Civil Defence, Haryana, which will be compiled for state-level review and forwarded to the MHA. The above mock exercises are scheduled for May 31 between 5 pm and 9 pm and should not be the cause of alarm for the citizen,' Misra said.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Haryana to conduct statewide civil defence exercise 'Operation Shield' on May 31
The Haryana government will conduct a major statewide Civil Defence Exercise, "Operation Shield", on May 31, across all 22 districts to enhance the state's emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., this comprehensive drill is being organised under the guidance of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, to simulate critical incidents such as air raids, drone attacks, and other wartime scenarios in the light of current national security concerns, an official statement said here on Friday. The mock exercises are scheduled for May 31 between 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and should not be the cause of alarm for the citizens, officials said. Earlier, this drill was scheduled for May 29 but was postponed as per the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs, it said. Giving further details, Additional Chief Secretary, Haryana's Home Department, Sumita Misra on Friday stated that the exercise aims to test existing emergency mechanisms, improve coordination between the civil administration, defence forces, and local communities and to identify areas that need to be strengthened, thus ensuring swift and effective response during any crisis. She said that currently there are around 32,000 Civil Defence Volunteers across state who will also contribute in this exercise. All Deputy Commissioners have been directed to call out Civil Defence Volunteers, NSS, NCC, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), Home Guards, of their respective districts in order to brief them regarding their deployment, duties and exercises to be undertaken. She further stated that, key components include drills responding to aerial threats such as air raids and swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), activation of air raid sirens, and testing of control room communication hotlines established with the Indian Air Force. Additionally, a controlled blackout of 15 minutes will be observed from 8 p.m. to 8.15 p.m. near vital installations, with exception of essential emergency services such as hospitals, fire stations, and police stations. Mr. Misra highlighted that the exercise also aligns with the Incident Response System (IRS), which Haryana officially notified on January 28, 2025, under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, providing a structured framework for effective emergency response. She directed all Deputy Commissioners, who are also Chairpersons of District Disaster Management Authorities, along with Commissioners and Superintendents of Police, to ensure meticulous planning and execution of the exercise in their jurisdictions. They have been instructed to submit detailed Action Taken Reports to the Commandant General, Home Guards, and Director, Civil Defence, Haryana, which will be compiled for state-level review and forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
