Multi-agency group to handle rain eventualities

Coordination hub to be setup at Traffic Management Centre

 Senior officials from various departments came together on Thursday and decided to set up a Multiple Agency Co-ordination Centre at the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) on Infantry Road to effectively handle the ensuing monsoon in the city.

The meeting was held a day after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah pulled up the officials of the BBMP and directed them to be fully prepared to handle to the monsoons. The meeting primarily discussed measures for better coordination among various agencies to make city free from inundation and traffic jams during rains.

The co-ordination centre will have a representative each from BBMP, BWSSB, Bescom, transport department, law and order and traffic wings of the city police. They will all sit at the control room of the TMC and monitor the situation across the city whenever it rains. The coordination team will get to know what is happening in which part of the city.

A senior police officer told Deccan Herald that this kind of an exercise was being carried out for the first time in the city. The TMC was selected for the operations, as it is equipped with necessary technology. The live footages captured by the surveillance cameras across the city will be screened at the control room, which will be like real time tracking. Traffic police on duty will be feeding the control room with the status of the distress situation. The social media team will keep a track on the complaints posted by public. All this will help the representatives from various departments to get a first hand information of the situation,” the officer said.

For instance, if there is water-logging, BWSSB representative at the TMC will immediately alert the officials from his department who are closer to the spot and they will fix the problem. It will be same with the other departments too. Every representative will get to know about any untoward incidents immediately. This will help in addressing the problem at the earliest.

Senior officers had a brain storming session on ways to tackle the monsoon eventualities. Whenever there is a downpour, the city comes to a standstill due to different reasons. All these add to the existing chaos and makes it difficult for people stranded in the rain. The co-ordination centre will play a major role in handling the rainy days. It’s success will help us to take the centre to an advanced level. Also, the departments concerned will select a representative and depute them to the TMC for a trial run shortly, said an official from BBMP.