Earth sciences department pulled up over natural disasters

Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s keen focus on increasing resources for scientific research, a parliamentary panel has pulled up the department of earth sciences for not taking seriously the work of putting forth a mechanism for timely or early detection of natural disasters, and has asked it to immediately coordinate with related departments to expeditiously complete the task.

The department, in response to a question put to it in Lok Sabha on whether the government has conducted or proposes to conduct any study regarding natural disasters like land slides and avalanches which are taking place almost every year in some parts of the country, replied that it would soon lay before the House, a statement on the study done regarding natural disasters.

This response was considered as an assurance on part of the government by the parliamentary committee of government assurances. This parliamentary panel looks into responses given by various ministries in both Houses of Parliament and conducts follow-ups on whether the government actually fulfilled those assurances in the long run or not.

In case the assurances are not fulfilled, then the panel asks the concerned departments or ministries to fast-track them. If any department or ministry is unable to fulfil the assurances made by them, then it has to come up with a credible response before the panel explaining its inability to do so.

Similarly, in the aforementioned case later in a follow-up to the reply given by the department of earth sciences at that time, it said that the question pertained to the mines ministry and therefore the assurance made by it in the reply should be shifted to that ministry.

The department of earth sciences told the parliamentary committee on government assurances that since it is the Geological Survey of India (GSI) which conducts studies related to avalanches, land slides and other such natural disasters, and as the body comes under the jurisdiction of mines ministry, therefore it is the latter which should fulfil the assurance made initially in Parliament by the former. The parliamentary panel took a stern view of the department of earth sciences’ response and noted “regretfully” the lack of promptitude and alacrity on its part.

“The committee feels that loss of precious lives and property can be avoided if there is a proper study on such natural disasters with a view to putting in place a mechanism for early or timely forecasting of the same. It regret to note that precious time has been wasted in this regard due to lack of promptitude and alacrity on part of the department of earth sciences and mines,” the panel noted in its observations.

It directed both the departments to coordinate with each other and expeditiously fulfil the assurance made on the floor of the House.

Incidentally in January 2016, Mr Modi had said that good governance was not just about policy and decision making, transparency and accountability, but also about integrating science and technology into the choices to be made and the strategies to be pursued.