Central University of Himachal Pradesh to have disaster control centre

In a major step towards enhancing disaster preparedness in the hill state, the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) has received approval from the Union Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to establish a dedicated disaster management centre on its Dharamsala campus.

The initiative comes in the wake of the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Himachal — Kullu-Manali cloudbursts in 2023, the Rampur tragedy in 2024 and the recent devastation in Siraj in Mandi district last month. The aim of the centre is to strengthen research, training and public awareness around disaster management and risk mitigation.

Vice-Chancellor Sat Prakash Bansal said that the newly approved centre would work in close coordination with the university’s recently established Department of Geology and its Remote Sensing and GIS Centre. “These departments are being developed with a focus on research, training and technology applications in managing natural disasters,” he added.

Bansal said that given the increasing pressure of disaster-related challenges in the state, there was an urgent need for institutional expertise. “The disaster management centre will serve as a hub for capacity building, field training and research. It will help prepare the state to better respond to emergencies and mitigate risks,” he added.

The central university is also planning to introduce a diploma course in Disaster Management, which will focus on developing skilled human resources in disaster risk reduction, emergency response and the use of space-based technologies in crisis situations.

This centre would be led by eminent Geologist Prof AK Mahajan, who has over 38 years of experience in the field of earth sciences and disaster risk management. He would be supported by a core team of experts like Dr Alok Kumar Pandey, Dr Pitambra Upadhyaya, Dr Batuk Joshi and Dr Arun Kumar, Bansal said.

He said that this initiative was not merely academic but a vital public service for a state highly vulnerable to landslides, flashfloods and other natural calamities.