UTTARAKHAND has a large population of servicemen and ex-servicemen. The armed forces in our country have traditionally been the first responders to any major disaster. This may be attributed to the fact that they can react quickly in an integrated and self contained manner. They have the core competence to operate under adverse conditions with a range of resources and capabilities at their disposal. The armed forces are equipped with the emergency search and rescue capabilities and they have been providing medical aid, communication, food, shelter and necessary infrastructure to disaster victims.The large number of ex-servicemen, who have the background and vast experience in engineering, medical, communication and signals, can be organized into a disciplined and trained workforce. This voluntary, trained, experienced and dedicated group can play an important part in search and rescue operations and also in providing medical aid at times of major disasters. Also, since most of the Army men retire at a young age between 30 and 40, their services can be fully utilised for disaster management and civil purposes as well.There are 123,113 ex-servicemen registered with Zila Sainik Boards in the state: Almora (9854), Bageshwar (7934), Chamoli (10759), Champawat (3416), Dehradun (22753), Haridwar (4240), Lansdowne (14891), Nainital (10389), Pauri Garhwal (6954), Pithoragarh (16522), Rudraprayag (3258), Tehri Garhwal (4826), Udham Singh Nagar (6584), and Uttarkashi (733). 

Dedicated organisation

In a post-disaster scenario, the first priority is extending immediate rescue and relief aid to victims, who need medical care, food and shelter. However, in the absence of a dedicated organisation, disaster relief tends to be ad hoc and leads to ‘crisis management’. A coordinated and synergistic approach at all levels to handle the resources available, along with an efficient communication and logistics network, is vital to post-disaster relief. It is here that a need exists for an organisation which has the required expertise, dedication and resources to handle this task.The potential for utilisation of disciplined and trained ex-servicemen for such situations has remained untapped due to lack of an organisational framework.  An Ex-Servicemen Disaster Management Unit (ESDMU) comprising primarily of retired defence officers, members of paramedical staff of Army Medical Corps, Military Nursing Services (MNS), engineers, signals and Ordnance Corps could play a vital role in preparedness for disaster management and relief works.Bihar has raised unit of retired soldiersUttarakhand cannot depend on the Central government for its forces all the time. Therefore, the state government must have a plan to recruit ex-servicemen and form ESDMUs that will not only effectively provide employment to an experienced, trained and disciplined force of ex-servicemen but will also utilise their services at the time of a disaster. The widespread presence of ex-servicemen in Uttarakhand will take care of reaching necessary assistance to the remotest places at the time of a disaster. The Bihar government has taken a decision to raise a separate unit of Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) to deal with disasters in that state. Ex-servicemen, who have been inducted into the SAP to fight the growing Naxal menace in the state, have also been proposed to be better utilised to effectively tackle the challenges arising out of calamities.

Planning considerations

The organisation of an ESDMU could be based on the concept of the Territorial Army. Only a nucleus staff could be employed on a permanent basis and the remaining voluntary force could be embodied periodically on as required basis.In Uttarakhand, the ESDMUs could be raised in Garhwal and Kumaon divisions with a unit in each district under the control of Zila Sainik Kalyan Board. The specialty of each divisional unit will be flexibility in terms of personnel (may do with whatever manpower is available) and response (depending upon the magnitude of the disaster).A databank of ex-servicemen, who volunteer for ESDMU services, can be maintained centrally at the Rajya Sainik Kalyan headquarters, and in each divisional headquarters. The requisite manpower for an ESDMU will be made available at short notice from this databank.The ESDMU can be tasked with creating public awareness, making disaster management plans with community involvement at the village level, carrying liaison with Army and paramilitary units deployed in remote places and organising medical camps throughout the year in association with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Red Cross.During any disaster, the ESDMU will be mobilised along with technical and supporting elements to the disaster site. The medical group within the ESDMU will comprise small disaster medical teams carrying expendable and non-expendable medical stores. An ESDMU will thus be significant in filling the gaps for the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) that cannot be present throughout the state, especially in remote places. Moreover, their presence in the community will be useful as the majority of ex-servicemen are natives of those places.  

Mobilisation

On receiving a request for assistance from the state government or the district administration or in anticipation of such a request, the ESDMU will inform the unit headquarters. And after obtaining permission from the headquarters, it will proceed to contact its volunteers by the fastest available means, including mobile phones, print media and television, requesting them to report for duty. The coordination of disaster relief operations will have to be maintained between the civil authorities, armed forces and the ESDMU at all levels through a joint operation centre. The services of ESDMUs can be utilised for disaster management on the Char Dham Yatra routes and the Hemkund Sahib yatra as well as in the event of accidents and natural catastrophes such as landslides, cloudbursts and earthquakes.The services of ex-servicemen can be used for setting up post-disaster infrastructure and makeshift arrangements for affected people. The task of navigating obstacles, clearing approach roads and debris, rebuilding bridges and roads, restoring electricity, water and making disaster relief shelters can be  effectively done by engineers with the available expertise and resources in the post-disaster scenario. Ex-servicemen capable of handling communication equipment can be trained for civil equipment. They can be very useful especially in remote and far flung areas in Uttarakhand. The signals group of an ESMDU can maintain and strengthen the emergency communication between the disaster site and the divisional headquarters through satellite. It can also set up a high frequency communication system. They are also trained in administering first aid, casualty evacuation and handling trauma cases.

Training

Disaster management requires continuous training and awareness. Selected officers and men of ESDMUs can be trained at the Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre. Search and rescue training or refresher courses could be organised for them in different institutes of the state through the ITBP, National Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) or the SSB.Ex-servicemen by virtue of their services in armed forces are well oriented and trained in the incident response system. The services of ex-servicemen will be utilised in turn for training volunteers of ESDMUs and organising welfare activities (medical camps) in remote areas.

Medical services

Ex-servicemen are also capable of handling transport, distribution of food and medicines and other essentials in remote areas. They are available in all populated villages in the state. Ex-servicemen with medical background or those belonging to the Army Medical Corps (AMC) can be identified and trained. They can help fill the shortage of employees in healthcare facilities, especially at places where they are residing. Medical officers, who had retired from the AMC, can be hired (region specific for consultation or floating services) for handling health services to provide specialised services to hill people and tide over the shortage of specialised medical staff.They can be tasked with distribution of medicines and contraceptives, taking blood samples and testing and health awareness and anti-AIDS drives.

Reverse migration

The government can evolve policies to encourage ex-servicemen to settle in their native villages. This can be done by offering them gainful employment through ESMDUs and through other schemes. Their services can be utilised in the tourism sector and promoting entrepreneurship. This way the government could check migration and at the same time ensure reverse migration. A few success stories could lead to an optimistic scenario in future.

Recommendations

• The government can involve ex-servicemen by creating 40 to 50 ESDMUs to start with. The ex-servicemen will be well dispersed in district, tehsils, blocks and villages. This will contribute to effectively augmenting public awareness and training search and rescue teams at the village and community levels.
• The government will have to provide minimal remunerations for ex-servicemen employed and finances for raising such units.
• Such units will not only be useful in pre and post-disaster management and response, but also for creating awareness and a provision of health services to people in remote places.
• Ex-servicemen can also effectively liaise with units deployed in far-flung areas. Such initiatives have borne good results in states such as Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram and Nagaland.
• Regular Army units deployed in remote places along with district units of ESDMUs can do a lot for local development.
• Ex-servicemen can fill the gaps with respect to manpower, remote accessibility, distances and infrastructure and their associations that function at the district level.
• They can work as semi-government representatives for coordination with regular units of armed forces in remote areas.
• They can be trained considering their existing skills and given responsibility of coordination from village to village.
• Ex-servicemen can also be made area specific nodal officers for conducting the affairs of ex-servicemen as well as local people with regard to health care