India’s Rs 40,000 crore fight for a lifeline when disaster strikes

The best case for the need for a national disaster communications network is perhaps the national capital region itself. The area is so vast and straddles three states that authorities find it impossible to communicate seamlessly, and with urgency, especially during emergencies.

If, god forbid, a calamity were to befall the region, then every authority works in isolation. Scarce resources will not be put to the best use.

This is a lesson that has been learnt the hard way by many developed nations including the United States, when in the minutes following 9/11 the need for a common communications network for authorities during calamities became immediately apparent.