How is Andhra Pradesh Enhancing Safety with Automatic Sirens?

Amaravati, Sep 16 (NationPress) The government of Andhra Pradesh is launching the installation of automated sirens at village secretariats to safeguard residents against lightning and floods, as stated by a senior official on Tuesday.

A trial initiative in one village has already demonstrated remarkable success, with the sirens functioning via ISRO satellite support, even in the absence of mobile connectivity, as noted by Katamneni Bhaskar, Secretary of Real Time Governance (RTGS).

Each system requires an investment of approximately Rs 2 lakh. The overall implementation across the state would amount to around Rs 340 crore, but the initial phase will prioritize at-risk villages at a budget of Rs 10–15 crore, he added, instructing district Collectors to oversee and support this initiative.

While addressing the District Collectors on the second day of their conference, Bhaskar emphasized that the state government is enhancing disaster preparedness and governance efficiency through RTGS Aware 2.0, advanced data systems, and innovation hubs.

He encouraged district Collectors to fully utilize these state-of-the-art tools to enhance governance at the district level.

Through RTGS Aware 2.0, residents are continually informed about disasters, cyclones, lightning, and weather fluctuations. Forecasts down to the mandal level, including lightning strikes, heavy rainfall, and reservoir inflows, are provided in real time.

He highlighted that a dedicated RTGS Aware website has been launched and is already extensively used by private transport and logistics companies for operational planning. He urged district administrations to leverage this system for greater local impact.

Bhaskar stated that all district-level RTGS centres will be operational by the end of October. Collectors were asked to personally assess progress and ensure timely completion of construction.

A centralized Data Lake containing over 6 petabytes of data from various government departments has been established, linked to a real-time Data Lens dashboard. This tool allows Collectors immediate access to district-level data, preventing duplication of efforts. He instructed that no new data silos should be created at the district level and that existing data must integrate with the central system.

To enhance accessibility to governance information, RTGS has developed an AI-enabled single search bar featuring over 80 lakh government documents, including GOs. Residents can retrieve information from any department using this tool, which also supports voice-based interaction. Collectors were tasked with raising public awareness about its usage.

The state aims to achieve complete mobile connectivity across tribal and remote areas within six months. Bhaskar mentioned that efforts are underway to promptly address connectivity gaps by constructing new mobile towers in underserved locations.

Collectors were also urged to focus on the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub, being set up in Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Anantapur, and Rajahmundry. These hubs aim to support 20,000 startups and generate nearly one lakh job opportunities for the youth of the state.

“RTGS is more than a monitoring mechanism; it is a tool for the people focused on disaster preparedness, governance transparency, and innovation for the future. District Collectors must ensure its full utilization to deliver tangible results for citizens,” Bhaskar stated.