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Time of India
18 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Indian Army mobilised 150-plus personnel within minutes of Air India plane crash
The Army responded swiftly to the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last month, mobilising more than 150 personnel within minutes for the rescue operation , a senior official said here on Thursday. Disaster relief is no longer an episodic task and has become an operational reality that must be "planned for, trained for, and seamlessly executed," said Southern Army Commander Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth. He was speaking at a high-level symposium on 'Role of Corps of Engineers in National Disaster Management Framework: Risk, Resilience and Response' at the College of Military Engineering (CME) here. The event brought together senior leadership from the Army, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) and key institutions involved in national disaster response framework. Given the vast footprint of the Indian Army across the length and breadth of the country, it is often best positioned to respond to natural or other disasters, even becoming the first responders when civilian capacity is overwhelmed, Lieutenant General Seth said. Live Events Within minutes of the crash of Air India AI-171 at Ahmedabad, in which more than 250 persons were killed, "we had over 150 personnel from the military station, comprising engineers, medical, firefighting and QRT General Officer Commanding of the division based at Ahmedabad himself was at the crash site within minutes," he said. The prompt decision to breach the wall between the military hospital and the B K Medical College which was struck by the crashed aircraft helped in saving precious lives of those trapped within the college complex, Seth said. Over the past decade, the scale and frequency of natural disasters have visibly increased, Seth said. "They are no longer sporadic events, but recurring disruptions with serious national consequences. The floods in Assam, the landslides in Himachal and Wayanad, the cloudbursts in Uttarakhand, and the cyclones along both the coasts are stark reminders of this growing challenge," he added. India suffered economic losses of over USD 12 billion in 2024, well above the previous 10-year average of USD 8 billion, due to natural disasters, Seth said. The Corps of Engineers has emerged as a "critical enabler" in relief work, he said, adding that from bridging broken links in Wayanad or enabling urban flood relief in Pune to supporting India's international humanitarian outreach during Operation Brahma in Myanmar, military engineers have consistently demonstrated exceptional versatility, technical proficiency and competence. In Wayanad, the engineer task force of 200 personnel worked incessantly to erect a 130-feet-long Bailey Bridge in less than 48 hours, which included airlifting the bridge from Delhi to connect the affected towns of Chudalwala and Bandokai village, Seth said. "This bridge remains even deployed today in the area as a lifeline for those villagers," he added. Disaster management is not just a humanitarian concern but is related to "core national security issues", Seth said. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Indian Express
19 hours ago
- General
- Indian Express
AI-171 crash at Ahmedabad highlights Army's swift disaster response: Southern Army Commander
SOUTHERN ARMY Commander Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth said on Thursday that the recent crash of Air India AI-171 at Ahmedabad highlighted the Army's swift role in disaster response. He said the prompt decision to breach the wall of the military hospital and the BJ Medical College helped in saving lives of those trapped within the BJ Medical Complex. The Army Commander was speaking at a high-level symposium titled 'Exercise Durg Vishwas: Role of Corps of Engineers in National Disaster Management Framework – Risk, Resilience and Response' which was held on Thursday at the College of Military Engineering (CME), Pune. The event brought together senior leadership from the Indian Army, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), and key institutions involved in national disaster preparedness and response framework. The symposium was steered by Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), Member, NDMA, and included an address by Rajendra Singh, Member and Head of Department at the NDMA. Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command, was the Chief Guest, with Gen Manoj Pande (Retd), Former Chief of Army Staff, as the Guest of Honour. The keynote address was delivered by Lt Gen Arvind Walia, AVSM, Engineer-in-Chief, who outlined the Corps' disaster response capabilities and its evolving role in national resilience. Lt Gen Seth said in his address, 'Disaster management has increasingly emerged as the subject of critical national importance. Over the past decade, the scale and frequency of natural disasters have visibly intensified whether they be floods, cyclones, earthquakes are no longer sporadic events but recurring disruptions with serious national consequences. For armed forces and particularly the Indian Army the evolving landscape of natural disasters has significant implications. Disaster relief is no longer an episodic task, it has become an operational reality that must be planned for, trained for and seamlessly executed. The increasing civil military interface in disaster response reflects this very shift. Given the fast footprint of the Indian Army across the length and breadth of our country, it is often best positioned to respond swiftly and effectively, often becoming the first responders where civilian capacity is overwhelmed. In this framework, the Corps of Engineers has emerged as a critical enabler.' The Army Commander added, 'More recently the Air India AI-171 crash at Ahmedabad highlighted the Army's swift disaster response. Within minutes over 150 personnel from the military station comprising engineers, medical, firefighting and QR teams were mobilised. General Officer Commanding of the division based at Ahmedabad himself was at the crash site within minutes. In fact the prompt decision taken to breach the wall which was there between the military hospital and the BJ Medical College which was struck by the aircraft which crashed, really helped in saving precious lives of those trapped within the BJ Medical complex.' 'India's vulnerability to natural and man-made disasters, ranging from floods and earthquakes to industrial accidents and CBRN threats, necessitates an integrated and responsive disaster management framework. The symposium underscored the critical role of the Indian Army's Corps of Engineers, which often emerges as the nation's first responder in crises due to its widespread deployment, engineering assets and interoperability with civil authorities.' a press release in this regard said. The press release listed the key takeaways from the event which included the need for: Integrated command and communication protocols between NDMA, state authorities, and the Armed Forces. Investments in training, simulation, and pre-positioned engineering assets across disaster-prone zones. Enhancing CBRN readiness through specialized Corps of Engineers units and inter-agency rehearsals. Capturing and disseminating lessons learned from past operations to shape doctrine, policies, and training syllabi for future responders.
