India's Delhi to get first underground radiation-shielded CBRN command centre

The Indian city of Delhi is to get its first underground radiation-shielded CBRN command centre, under a five-year road map prepared by the Delhi Fire Service.

Indian media including Hindustan Times have reported that the command centre will be a part of the new Delhi Fire Service headquarters. Chief fire officer AK Malik said that the CBRN facility is a part of the five-year plan under the broader 25-year roadmap that has been submitted to the home department, and the facility will coordinate operations with the three disaster response centres at Nehru Place, Laxmi Nagar and Rohini.

"The fire department is always among the first responders during major disasters. A dedicated CBRN command centre will significantly improve preparedness for high-risk incidents by enhancing coordination between agencies and ensuring faster operational response," Malik said.

The Delhi Fire Service plans to nearly triple its station network, expand its workforce almost tenfold and deploy AI-assisted dispatch systems, drones and predictive analytics under the 25-year overhaul.

According to the official 23-page roadmap reviewed by Hindustan Times, the city’s emergency incident calls have nearly doubled over the last two decades and emergency response infrastructure has failed to keep pace with rapid urbanisation. The primary objective, therefore, is to sharply reduce emergency response time, at least from 12-15 minutes to under seven minutes in congested areas by around 2030.

It also proposes increasing fire stations from the current 71 to 120 by 2032, 136 by 2036, 156 by 2041 and 196 by 2051.