Disaster Management Centre

Disaster Management Centre at ATI was set up in 1995 and is mainly funded by Government of India. The Centre conducts regular training programmes, seminars and workshops on natural disaster management, environment and ecology for officials and elected representatives of local government bodies.
The approach to disaster management has undergone a radical shift in recent times from one based on relief and rehabilitation to a more comprehensive approach laying emphasis on preparedness and mitigation.  The Centre takes up various activities for sensitization, awareness creation and capacity building among government officials, functionaries from panchayati raj intuitions, urban local bodies, NGOs and other civil society organizations as well as local communities based on the new approach. A Community Preparedness Programme for Disaster Management was successfully implemented with UNICEF assistance. The programme involved training and capacity building of local communities for preparation of village level plans for disaster reduction and mitigation through a participatory process. The programme was implemented in close collaboration with the panchayats, local administration and voluntary organizations.
The Centre is currently working on the following:

·         Developing IEC materials like posters, radio jingles and videos on flood, landslide and earthquake for Government of West Bengal

·         Historical documentation of floods in West Bengal

It is also planning to take up a few research projects, case studies and best practices documentation.

Centre of Excellence on Flood
Government of India has approved the setting up of a Centre of Excellence on Flood at ATI Kolkata. It will have among other things, a resource centre and a digital library. It will also develop advanced simulation based training modules and undertake research, documentation and publication of books, journals, newsletter etc.

Urban Management Centre

The Urban Management Centre at the Institute was set up in 2001 with support from Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO). The centre undertakes training, capacity building and research activities in urban management, urban development and related areas.

Training

Training programmes, workshops and seminars are conducted for administrative and technical personnel working in the urban sector, elected representatives of urban bodies and community groups. Some of the major training initiatives include:

• Induction and in-service training for Executive Officers and Assistant Engineers of local bodies within Kolkata Metropolitan Area

• Training programmes for more than 600 Deputy Managers, Assistant Managers and Sub Assistant Engineers of Kolkata Municipal Corporation

• Tailor made training programmes for Baidyabati, Serampore, Baruipur, Titagarh and Rajpur-Sonarpur municipalities covering officials and elected representatives

Training modules have been developed on City/ Urban Management. Case studies on best practices have been prepared.

Handholding to Urban Local Bodies

The Centre is providing support to 20 urban local bodies in West Bengal for preparation of Draft Development Plan for 2007-12 under Kolkata Urban Services for the Poor (KUSP). The work has been completed in respect of 15 urban bodies so far.

AITP course

The Centre has initiated a three-year course of Associate of the Institute of Town Planners (AITP) which is equivalent to Masters in Town Planning. The course is in semi-distance learning mode and is recognized by Institute of Town Planners India and sponsored by Government of West Bengal. The first batch of urban planners from local bodies in West Bengal will be completing the course in June 2010.

Projects

A Pilot Study of Non-Municipal Urban Areas has been taken up for Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Government of West Bengal.
The Centre has taken up a project for documenting best practices in respect of three municipalities in the state.
A proposal for preparing a Model Land Use and Development Control Plan for Peri-urban Areas has been submitted to Government of India for approval.

Regional Training Centres

In a significant step towards taking training closer to the work-place, the Institute is currently conducting training programmes through thirteen Regional Training Centres located in the districts of Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas, Bankura, Birbhum, Coochbehar, Purulia, Nadia and Darjeeling. These programmes are co-ordinated by the respective District Magistrates to cater to the needs at the cutting edge of the administration.

The courses cover administrative and financial rules and procedures, good governance, right to information, disaster management, computers etc.

Different districts are attached to the RTCs as follows: