Ranchi, Aug. 10: If it happens in Mumbai, it can also take place in any city.

After the rains played mayhem in Mumbai a fortnight ago, towns and cities across the country have begun to take stock of the situation if a natural or man-made calamity strikes at any point of time.

But, is Ranchi ready to cope with disasters?

People have different opinions on the issue. While some feel that Ranchi does not have the required infrastructure to deal with such situations, others are of the opinion that Ranchi does have the social and political will to tackle any such calamity.

?Unlike other big cities where people are scattered, Ranchi has a close-knit society, which is capable of coping with any such disaster,? said Manoj Kumar, general secretary of Nagarik Manch, a city-based social organisation.

Ranchi MLA Chandreshwar Prasad Singh said the city has the will ? both social as well as political ? to cope with any such disaster. In case of Mumbai, there was no political will, but there was social will that gave strength to the people to face the disaster.

?I don?t think there will be any problem here as social groups are quite active. They soon start their operation in case of any emergency,? he said. There should not be a problem in taking the help of armymen as they are in good numbers in Namkum and Dipatoli.

?Three years ago there was a case of food poisoning at Ratu involving more than 100 people. A few social groups like Lions Club immediately took up the task to provide treatment and relief,? he said.

Indian Medical Association secretary Ajay Kumar Singh said there have been instances when cases of food poisoning or accidents involving a large number of people been tackled very effectively.

Ranchi Municipal Corporation health officer Rekha Rani Singh said the government has recently set up disaster management group at the district level which will coordinate any such eventuality. The group, whose first meeting was held on July 30, will have an ?incident command system?, headed by the deputy commissioner.

?Under the system, there will be administrative as well as civil and health officials like additional collector, superintendent of RIMS, commandant of JAP I, health officer of RMC, secretary Bazar Samiti, deputy administrator of RMC, circle officer, civil surgeon among others. They have been given specific responsibilities at the time of crises,? she said.

?But, there are many areas where the government will have to focus. Neither there is a bomb defusal squad nor there are professional divers in the state. As many as 40 people had drowned two years ago in Rukka dam but because of the absence of divers here, the government had to bring divers from outside ,? said a senior government official.

Ranchi is very unlikely to see a situation like Mumbai because of its topography, experts said. Waterlogging might be a problem in a few pockets but not in the whole city even if there is a heavy downpour.

Similarly, Ranchi is said to be an earthquake resistant zone, so it is very difficult to imagine such a situation. But, the effect of an earthquake of strong intensity at a place close to Chhotanagpur region might cause a damage to Ranchi.

Apart from these two situations, Ranchi might face a sudden outbreak of epidemic, a major accident or a law and order problem at a large-scale. But does Ranchi have the capacity to cope with such disasters?