Re: (no subject)

According to the Disaster Mitigation & Management Centre, Uttarakhand,
"satellite phones have been set up in ten districts as also in the DMMC and
SEOC for providing alternative communication." ("A HAM radio club has been
formed in DMMC for providing alternative communication," says DMMC, adding
somewhat oddly, "as also for promoting this hobby.")

Still, the CAG is not particularly impressed. The "Report of the
Comptroller and Auditor General of India on performance Audit of Disaster
Preparedness in
India<http://saiindia.gov.in/english/home/Our_Products/Audit_Report/Government_Wise/union_audit/recent_reports/union_performance/2013/Civil/Report_5/Report_5.html>"
(2013) notes, "In Uttarakhand, no risk management plan was prepared for
early warning. Requisite tools and mechanisms for providing early warning
indicators in regard to disaster were also not in place. Reliable
communication system was inadequate as the sharing of disaster information
was delayed by more than three hours in 50 to 86 percent cases."

There is no State Disaster Management Plan either. There is only so much
the NDRF can do. The state had been warned by IMD by the midnight of June
14, and they had at least two days, possibly three, to evacuate pilgrims.
Rishikesh is only a few hours by road from the pilgrimage trail. By the
time the NDRF is called in, it's rather late.

Sajan


On 22 June 2013 19:15, Manish Malik <[email protected]> wrote:

> NDRF is using only 6 working Sat phones at the moment for the rescue
> operations, out of the 208 sanctioned ones, it seems.
>
>
> http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/06/21/disaster-force-no-helicopters-few-sat-phones/
>
> http://ndrfandcd.gov.in/writereaddata/userfiles/file/LIST%20OF%20NDRF%20EQPT.pdf
>
> "A document on the NDRF website states that the home ministry has
> sanctioned 208 satellite phones for the force, but it is unclear how many
> of these have been delivered. According to Mr. Rathore of the NDRF, the
> force is using six satellite phones in the rescue operation at the moment."
>
> Best,
> Manish
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 7:27 PM, Vickram Crishna <v1clist-/[email protected]>wrote:
>
>> Only Thuraya phones whose satellite lock codes have been shared with GoI
>> are banned. Other phones, held by politicians and cricket betters and
>> bookies, are perfectly ok. Naturally, they can't be risked in flood areas.
>>
>> Vickram
>> communicall.wordpress.com
>> Yahoo! Mail on Android
>>
>>  ------------------------------
>> * From: * sajan venniyoor <[email protected]>;
>> * To: * india-gii@india-gii org <[email protected]>;
>> * Subject: * Re: [india-gii] (no subject)
>> * Sent: * Thu, Jun 20, 2013 1:41:31 PM
>>
>>   On 20 June 2013 15:12, Vickram Crishna <v1clist-/[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> When disaster strikes, the need of the hour is what can be done now.
>>> Together with food, medicine, airlifts etc, a key ingredient is quick and
>>> dirty communications.
>>>
>>
>> During the Kosi floods of 2008, the Community Radio Forum had -- with the
>> backing of UNESCO and UNICEF -- proposed setting up emergency radio
>> stations in the worst affected areas. This was done on the reasonable
>> assumption that low-power FM stations are cheap and easy to set up, and
>> that someone somewhere always has a battery operated transistor radio. Or
>> FM-enabled mobile phone.
>>
>> The proposal was turned down. Actually, they sent the file to six
>> separate ministries, except possibly the Ministry of Textiles. One of the
>> government worthies whose approval was required, a superfatted idiot in the
>> Ministry of Water Resources (you know, floods...) sat on the file till God
>> made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.  During our
>> first meeting, he told us, “You may broadcast flood-related messages on the
>> surface, but how do we know what you will broadcast below that?”, giving us
>> a fascinating scientific insight into hitherto unknown capabilities of FM
>> radio.
>>
>> Cherian: aren't sat phones banned in India?
>>
>> Sajan
>>
>> On 20 June 2013 15:12, Vickram Crishna <v1clist-/[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> The scale of the tragedy makes it difficult to wring hands over the
>>> 'what could have been'.
>>>
>>> When disaster strikes, the need of the hour is what can be done now.
>>> Together with food, medicine, airlifts etc, a key ingredient is quick and
>>> dirty communications. I do hope that the notworking folks at DoT, CMS etc
>>> don't come in the way.
>>>
>>> Vickram
>>> communicall.wordpress.com
>>> Yahoo! Mail on Android
>>>
>>>  ------------------------------
>>> * From: * VK Cherian <[email protected]>;
>>> * To: * <[email protected]>;
>>> * Subject: * [india-gii] (no subject)
>>> * Sent: * Thu, Jun 20, 2013 7:52:48 AM
>>>
>>>   Has Indian disaster communication systems failed in  Uttarkhand. DOT
>>> has been sitting over proposals for sat phones by global giants like
>>>  Immarsat  for  months together.
>>>
>>> So is the info . coming on mobile phone network coverage in the area
>>> where the  last Maoist carnage in Chattisgarh  happened. The Maoist struck
>>> where there  was no network coverage and  hence the security forces were in
>>> total dismay and confusion and this has added to the death toll, says and
>>> insider.
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> VK Cherian
>>> New Delhi
>>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>
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