Union minister of state for planning MV Rajashekharan acknowledged here on Thursday that destruction caused by natural calamities as well as man-made disasters was on the rise and the state government machinery was evidently unable to tackle them on its own.

Delivering the keynote address at a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the Times Centre for Disaster Management being set up by the Times Foundation in association with the University of Mumbai, the minister promised that the centre, “through its research, would guide policy-makers on how to build resilience as also how to tackle wild nature and prevent man-made disasters”.

The centre would run post-graduate courses in disaster management/emergency management as well as certificate courses on generic and specialised components of disaster management. It would also undertake research initiatives on urban risk mitigation, early warning systems (emergency communication), public health in emergencies and climate risk management.

Quoting renowned Kannada poet Kuvempu, Mr Rajashekharan said it took a person with a shining character to build and support a centre like this. “I would like to first salute Times Group chairman Indu Jain for coming up with this centre. This is so timely,” he said. Between 1994 and 2003, disasters - both natural and technological - claimed 68,671 Indian lives, affected an average of 68 million people every year and cost $1.9 billion annually in direct economic damage.

University of Mumbai vice-chancellor Vijay Khole said the course in disaster management would also involve identifying systemic gaps and vulnerable sites like public places and grounds where large congregations gather, which were earlier considered relatively safer. Eminent film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, who also graced the occasion, pointed to the need to draw a positive lesson from the Mumbai deluge on July 26, 2005.

The courses at the centre would commence this academic year. The four thrust areas of the centre are: mitigation, preparedness, response and finally, the recovery process, which involves rehabilitation of victims.

Emphasising the importance of this centre, Times Group executive president Bhaskar Das said that unlike before, now long periods of disaster are followed by a brief lull. He said that the centre would strive towards “capacity-building, optimal resource utilisation and disaster and emergency management”.

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