(a) whether the Government have set up an Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre at the headquarters of the Meteorological Department;
(b) if so, the details of the functions of this Centre;
(c) whether this Centre would also evaluate all data and quantify earthquake risk and prepare site specific risk maps;
(d) the time by which this Centre is likely to become operational; and
(e) the estimated cost of this new system?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (SHRI BACHI SINGH RAWAT)
(a) to (e): Sir, the proposal to set up Earthquake Risk Evaluation Centre (EREC) has recently been approved by the Government of India. The Centre will be located at India Meteorological Department. Its principal mandate is to collate and integrate different data sets and to prepare site specific risk maps for better preparedness planning. The Centre is also mandated to provide an institutional mechanism for multi-disciplinary inputs and expertise to be integrated so as to provide a single window service for earthquake management. Action has been initiated to have the EREC operational and functioning by the end of the year 2001. The approved cost of the Centre is Rs. 38.5 crores to be spent over a period of five years.