The Hindu Business Line : Satyam's non-profit group rolls out emergency service

THE Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI), a non-profit society, has launched a round-the-clock emergency response service to provide timely help in situations that threaten life and property. The response service will cover Visakhapatnam, Tirupathi, Vijayawada and Warangal by next month. Considered the first such initiative in the country, it is modelled on the lines of 911 in the US and similar ones in Europe. Such services provide a single-point call facility for help in any emergency that could disrupt normal life.

EMRI, a non-profit society of the Hyderabad-based Satyam group, seeks to leverage technology, processes and resources in coordination with the police, fire, medical and other departments to provide emergency services.

Inaugurating the `call 108 emergency response service' here on Monday, the Union Minister for Information Technology and Communications, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, expressed concern over road accidents. Complimenting the Satyam Chairman, Mr B. Ramalinga Raju, for this initiative, Mr Maran said, "There was a need to expand the service across the country. Other States should emulate the model. And once this expands, Call 108 can become a uniform number across the country."

The Chief Minister, Dr Y. S. Rajashekhara Reddy, who flagged off the EMRI ambulance fleet, assured the State Government would extend all possible help to EMRI to expand its bold initiative and hoped that the service would be extended across the State in two years.

Mr Ramalinga Raju said valuing and caring for life is one of the fundamental reasons why societies abroad have progressed so fast. Effective systems have been developed to quickly respond to emergency situations involving human and animal life, property and the environment. If the public private partnership mode is taken, public safety can be enhanced further.

The emergency response vehicles are fitted with GPS systems for mapping and tracking. EMRI had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Andhra Pradesh Government, forging a public-private partnership initiative.

The Finance Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, launched the Indian Emergency Journal, a quarterly brought out by EMRI.

A comprehensive national disaster policy is on the anvil, said the Union Minister for Information Technology and Communication, Mr Dayanidhi Maran.

The proposed comprehensive national policy is to serve as a chart map for mitigation and preparedness measures, he said.

Further, there has been a proposal to set up Indian Emergency Management Authority (IEMA) at the national level to enable State Governments to operate emergency response centres for promoting and enhancing public safety by providing legal, financial and administrative policy framework.

The institutional mechanism in emergency response through public, private partnership (PPP) will go a long way in facilitating the efforts of the States to deploy comprehensive hand to hand emergency infrastructure including reliable telecommunications network, Mr Maran added.

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