Bhubaneswar: People in Odisha were startled on Wednesday after they received a buzzing emergency alert messages on their mobile phones sent by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as a part of its pilot testing of the emergency alert system being implemented by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
“About 99.99 per cent of mobile users in Odisha received the message under the pilot testing of the emergency alert system on Wednesday,” said Mr Bijay Bhusan Pandey, Deputy Director General of DoT, Odisha region.
“We are looking into the issue of the remaining 0.01 per cent of mobile phones that could not receive the messages. Some particular mobile phones did not receive the alert messages. We will find out the make of the mobiles and talk to the manufacturers to enable the system to get the alert message. We will try to do this in the coming month,” said Mr Pandey. He said that the message could be sent to particular districts and areas of the state too.
If the government provides early information about any natural calamities like cyclones, floods, lightning etc, people can prepare accordingly before the calamity strikes them, Mr Pandey added.
Mobile users panicked for a few seconds after getting an alert sound and sudden flashing of a warning message with the header ‘Emergency alert: Extreme’.
“Please ignore this message as no action is required from your end. This message has been sent to test the pan-India emergency alert system being implemented by the NDMA. It aims to enhance public safety and provide timely alerts during emergencies,” read the alert message.
However, prior to testing the Emergency Alert System, text messages were sent to the mobile phone users on 24 October. “Advisory: DoT, Govt of India would conduct Cell Broadcast testing with NDMA. You may receive test alerts on mobile with sound/vibration. These alerts are part of the testing process, do not indicate an actual emergency and do not require any action at your end,” read the message.
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