वैकल्पिक संचार व्यवस्था

Means of telecommunication in present scenario

The telecommunication links play a vital role in sending warning / alerts prior to any disaster and are inevitable for carrying out relief and rescue operations during / after disaster. Most popular means connecting all Government and Private offices, police stations, fire stations, hospitals and majority of homes and business places are Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) (public wired telephone) and mobile (cellular) network which are the primary networks used for transmission / reception of voice and data. The tower based wireless radio communication (Very High Frequency) network of Police also adds strength to the above mentioned PSTN and Cellular network.

Scenario when telecommunication network get disrupted or jammed in event of a major natural disaster or emergency situation

Unfortunately, at the time of major natural disasters such as earthquake, flood and landslide, as were the case in recent past in case of J&K and Uttarakhand, the regular telecommunication infrastructure of public wired and wireless (mobile) telephones get severely damaged and become non-functional. This mainly happens because of the damaged cables and cellular transmission towers or disrupted power supply to operate the telephone exchanges and cellular transmission towers. The tower based wireless radio communication network of Police also gets affected due to damaged transmission towers. During this emergency situation, the communication traffic goes beyond its capacity which leads to congestion of the network or in worst case, complete failure of network.

Need for an alternative Communication Systems in case the normal communication lines fail and its integration with existing terrestrial Telecommunication Infrastructure

To mitigate the risks of communication network failure in case of disaster, an integrated approach is required for a reliable Telecommunication Infrastructure to be provided to the disaster managers during peace (normal) time as well as in the event of any disaster.

High Frequency based Communication of MP Police and POLNET (Police Satellite Network) of DCPW (Ministry of Home Affairs), both being least prone to disasters, are being used as means of communication during peace time and disasters. In addition, a pilot project titled as ‘National Disaster Management Services (NDMS)’ has been conceived by NDMA to provide VSAT Based Communication Network and IT support for Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) operations in SEOC at Bhopal and DEOCs at Hoshangabad & Jabalpur and the project is being implemented under the aegis of MPSDMA, to be operated and monitored by SDERF.

Broad objectives of the National Disaster Management Services (NDMS) project of NDMA, being implemented in MP under the aegis of MPSDMA

1. Voice Calls between EOCs of Disaster affected Districts, States, NDMA, NDRF HQ and MHA during disaster on priority and peace time to other EOCs in a restricted way depending upon the availability of Bandwidth.
2. Internet, Email, Landline (outgoing) & Mobile (outgoing), Web Services from the disaster site freely and to other places in a restricted way depending upon the availability of Bandwidth.
3. EPABX feature will be made available through the Universal Gateway which will have the facility to transfer the Telephone Calls on any of the Media including HF, Satellite, Terrestrial Network or any other mode including intercoms and IVRS feature.
4. HF Radio connectivity
5. Receive information/services as provided by various forecasting and warning agencies (CWC, IMD, INCOIS, GSI, etc.) from their portal.
6. Provide single view of disaster from the disaster affected site as far as possible to all the stakeholders through integration of various information (Audio, Video and Data) feeds.
7. Provide platform for strategy and information interchange with MHA, NDMA, NDRF HQ, States/UTs/Selected Districts and other disaster relief agencies.

The integrated approach is part of ICT services which is based on providing reliable VSAT communication backed up with terrestrial network and HF Radios to assist the MHA, NDMA, NDRF HQ, MPSDMA, SDERF and local administration in taking appropriate decisions.

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HAM Radio

At the event of disaster, consider this, underground communication lines may get disabled due to flooding, cell towers may get destroyed or simply choke due to high utilization, backup generators may run out of fuel or may get filled up with water.

Ham radio, also called amateur radio, is a technology that uses radio waves to communicate, without the use of any mobile network, SIM card or telephone line. They resemble the walkie-talkies used for intra-city communication, but are much more powerful in their range of accessibility. It involves technical creativity and experimentation with the wireless communication network. Ham radio involves the use of a combined unit of transmitter and receiver - called transceiver -that facilitates a two-way communication between broadcasters across the world.

Although the level of awareness about ham radio as a means of communication is still low in India, it has the potential to be an immensely useful disaster management tool, especially in times of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, cyclones, etc. When mobile phone networks are overloaded or destroyed during calamities, licensed ham radio operators from affected areas can help one communicate with stranded people. Unlike commercial systems, Amateur radio is not as dependent on terrestrial facilities that can fail. It is dispersed throughout a community without "choke points" such as cellular telephone sites that can be overloaded.

Ham radio operators were of great help to the Indian government during tsunami in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. They have also been actively communicating during the Bhuj earthquake and the floods in Mumbai.

Registration of HAM Radio Operators in MP

HAM Radio operators with valid licences may register themselves in MP SDMA website after filling in the Registration Form (please click on the Registration Form tab to register yourself), so that their services may be utilised for emergency communication at the time of disaster.
ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM FOR PROVIDING EMERGENCY HAM RADIO COMMUNICATION AT THE TIME OF DISASTER IS AVAILABLE IN MP SDMA WEBSITE