Shimla ICCC to help tackle landslides, flash floods through 34 sensors across Himachal

An integrated command and control centre (ICCC) set up here under the Smart Cities Mission will help Himachal Pradesh to handle incidents like the recent Manal-Chandigarh Highway landslide through an array of 34 sensors, officials said on Sunday.

The sensors deployed across Himachal Pradesh's landslide and flashflood-prone zones will be monitored at the ICCC for timely action, they said.

The ICCC is likely to be fully operational soon, officials said.

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"It will be fully functional in next 7-8 days and play an important role in disaster mitigation," said Shimla Smart City Ltd (SSCL) general manager Ajit Bhardwaj.

Last week hundreds of commuters including tourists were stranded at Manali-Chandigarh National Highway in Mandi district for over 24 hours owing to landslides and flashfloods.

The 70-km Mandi-Pandoh-Kullu stretch of the highway was blocked at Khotinallah near Aut, about 40 km from Mandi town, following flashfloods while the Mandi-Pandoh stretch was blocked near what is called the 6 Miles after a landslide.

The Integrated ICCC established by SSCL will also provide an end-to-end monitoring mechanism to bring together 17 different departments on a single platform and integrate communication capabilities and increase cyber protections, said Rajiv Jain, spokesperson of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Himachal Pradesh has two ICCCs -- at Shimla and Dharmshala -- set up under the 'Smart Cities Mission' of MoHUA.

"The sensors to detect landslide and flashfloods have been placed across the state and they will be monitored through the ICCC for a timely response in case of such eventualities," said Andraiz Ahmed, project manager of Queantela Technology, system integrator roped by SSCL.

The Shimla ICCC has 15 work stations equipped with a total 45 terminals for monitoring purpose. The ICCC also has a data centre, he said.

The two ICCCs will also deploy two drones each for monitoring and getting live feed for purposes like traffic and disaster management, Ahmed said.

Officials said all the 12 districts of Himachal Pradesh are planned to be integrated with the ICCCs later for disaster management and other purposes.

Citizen services such as marriage registration, property tax and water supply can also be monitored from the ICCC platform. In Shimla city, 250 CCTV cameras for traffic management will also be carried integrated with the ICCC, they said.

An environment sensor at mall road monitors the level of air quality for necessary action by the city authorities, they added.