India To Constitute Integrated Control Centers In Defense Ministry To Meet Urgencies

Indian has considered constituting integrated control centers (ICC) in the home ministry as well as defense ministry to get real time information of any urgent need and respond quickly to it.

The integrated control centre (ICC) will be having nodes from the key agencies and departments like Central Water Commission, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Geological Survey of India (GSI) Army, Navy, Air Force and national disaster response force (NDRF), DNA India reported today.

Further its stakeholders will also include ministries from Prime Minister Office, agriculture, civil aviation, railways, civil supplies, defense and home that will be put on prompt SMS groups for quick action in time any exigency.

The ICC shall have at least 10-12 domain experts from every related field on 24X7 basis, and will be headed by a senior official, preferably of the level of joint secretary.

The idea is to have a seamless sharing of information in real time of any disaster natural or manmade, terror attack, big accident or riot from local level to the Centre and responding to it as soon as possible, said a senior official.

"To do this we have to do away with the current control room and disaster management centre and replace them with studio that has equipment and domain experts," he added.

The ICC has been approved in principle by the home ministry and would be implemented soon by includingthe control centers at national disaster management authority (NDMA) and in house disaster management.

"The two full-fledged integrated control centres in home as well as defence ministries will be used for reaching at a unified decision at central government level including giving command to NDRF, Army and sending requests to friendly nations for international requirements.

Care will be taken to make it completely professional. Moreover, standard operating procedures are being drafted so that it has work culture where not a single mishap goes unnoticed and is attended promptly, the official added.