Srinagar: Mobile phone users in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday received an emergency alert on their cellphones with a loud beep as India tested its nationwide emergency alert system, officials said.
Mobile phone users in the Union territory were surprised on Saturday morning as their phones buzzed loudly and received a flash message, the officials said.
They said the alert, sent out at 11.42 am, was a part of the emergency alert system testing.
“This is part of the testing of the Emergency Alert System, so that accurate information can be received on time during disasters,” they said.
They said this message may appear repeatedly and asked people to not do anything.
“India launches Cell Broadcast using indigenous technology, for instant disaster alerting service for its citizens. Alert citizens, safe nation. No action is required by the public upon receipt of this message. This is a test message. – Government of India,” the flash message read.
Mehraj Ahmad, a mobile phone user here, expressed surprise when his phone made a loud beep.
“I was surprised when the message came. I did not know about it. I was startled when my phone made a loud noise. Then I read the message and understood,” Ahmad said.
He said it was a good move to alert people if there was any eventuality.
The government had already warned that they would be conducting trials of mobile-based disaster alert systems across the country, urging citizens to ignore the test messages.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said adoption of technologies like Cell Broadcast and CAP will significantly strengthen disaster preparedness, improve governance, and ensure timely and effective outreach to every citizen.
Shah said this while conveying his best wishes on the launch of the cell broadcast alert system that would warn citizens about emergency and natural disasters in their areas, according to a statement issued by the government.
Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia launched the system on Saturday.
“The adoption of advanced communication technologies like Cell Broadcast and CAP will significantly strengthen disaster preparedness, improve governance and ensure timely, effective outreach to every citizen,” Shah was quoted as saying in the statement.
The “swadeshi” system has been designed to ensure rapid and effective dissemination of alerts to large populations during time-critical situations, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, lightning strikes and man-made emergencies including gas leaks and chemical hazards, the statement said.
“This system has been successfully deployed by NDMA across 36 states/UTs and connected to all 5 telecom operators providing mobile services in the country,” it added.
The alert system was sent across the network of all telecom operators in the country, except in poll-bound states.
“Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, today launched the Cell Broadcast Alert System, developed indigenously by C-DOT in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), under the guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah,” the statement said.
The system is based on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) as recommended by the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency.
It is currently operational across all 36 states and Union territories of India and delivers disaster- and emergency-related alerts via text messages to mobile-phone users within the geo-targeted areas.
