If everything goes according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s plan, you can soon get real-time updates of the calls made to the disaster management cell, to know how much time the agency will take to reach the site. The BMC’s disaster management team is framing rules for the initiative and plans to implement it soon through the Maharashtra government’s online SMS gateway.
According to the plan, once a caller notifies the disaster management team of the BMC about any tragedy, the caller will get arrival updates from the response force till the issue is completely resolved. Senior civic officials say the updates will keep callers aware of the situation. An official said, “The city’s congested lanes and daily traffic sometimes make it difficult for the rescue force to reach the site. Real-time updates will avoid panic. This will be implemented at no cost, as the messages will be sent through the state government’s online SMS gateway. The feature is still in the proposal stage and will be finalised soon.”
As part of its monsoon preparedness plan, the BMC is also upgrading its disaster management mobile application in order to establish a smooth interface for its officials and users. The upgrade will allow citizens to register complaints of waterlogging by uploading pictures on the application. IA Kundan, Additional Municipal Commissioner, said, “We are upgrading the disaster management application. Real-time updates is part of it.”
The disaster management cell, which functions 24×7, is required to coordinate between various rescue agencies to provide quick and efficient medical services to victims by taking immediate and proper decisions. The calls are related to minor and major mishaps, landslides, fire, waterlogging, building collapse, potholes and bomb blasts, where the cell notifies the rescue agencies concerned.
