A model Citizen's Charter for disaster management in Uttaranchal (India)

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to persuade all partners in disaster management to take action and create a pair of synergistic and invincible forces – government and people – that interact to bring about a reduction in the impact of natural hazards in Uttaranchal, India.

Design/methodology/approach

There is an urgent need for a comprehensive tool to make the community aware of its right to safety. Today, policies and planning for disaster management are a State subject, in which the participation of the community is negligible. Therefore, disaster management has become supply‐driven instead of demand‐driven.

Findings

A Citizen's Charter of Disaster Management is considered to be another appropriate tool to bring in citizen‐centric governance. The Charter aspires to meet the present and anticipated needs of citizens in an efficient manner by eradicating errors and wastage through a scientific approach with participation between government and citizens.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis is based on the experience gained over a period of seven years (1999‐2005). The period is short for developing any hypothesis, but sufficient care has been taken to consider vital factors.

Practical implications

With the help of the Citizen's Charter of Disaster Management, the quality of public services can be improved. To make society safer it is required that people should know the mandate of the Department of Disaster Management concerned, how one can get in touch with its officials, what to expect by way of services, and how to seek a remedy if something goes wrong.

Originality/value

The Citizen's Charter of Disaster Management does not by itself create new legal rights, but it certainly helps in enforcing existing rights.

Citation

Pande, R.K. and Pande, R. (2007), "A model Citizen's Charter for disaster management in Uttaranchal (India)", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 16 No. 5, pp. 755-760. https://doi.org/10.1108/09653560710837046