In India, delayed response from rescue services to natural calamities, railway accidents and even road mishaps is routine. In August 2013, when the Rajyarani Express ran over and killed 37 pilgrims on a railway track in Bihar, officials blamed the delay in rescue efforts on the lack of proper roads to reach the site. In the Uttarakhand floods of June 2013, which killed several hundred people, the death toll could have been lower if the state government had paid greater heed to the warnings of the meteorological department.
The deaths are appalling, given that India has had a comprehensive Disaster Management Act since 2005, to provide for the “effective management of disasters” across the country. But like with so many other Indian plans, there's a huge gap between intention and action.
Based on provisions in the Act, the centre has constituted a National Disaster Response Force (for specialised response to calamities) as well as a National Institute of Disaster Management (to build capacity and human resources in the field). ...more
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