Course Coordinator Prof K.C. Tiwari said that it is divided into two semesters and would have 20 seats for graduates from any stream. Both the visiting faculty and in-house experts will take classes. The fee for the course will be Rs 4000 per semester.

“We have sought expertise from GSDMA and the Army on various specialised techniques of managing and controlling disasters through field visits and mock drills,” said Tiwari. The course has been designed to cater some of the region-specific needs such as floods and riots. At the local level, students will also be trained to deal with fires with the help of local fire station officials. “Students will also be made aware of the various levels of preparedness and networking in dealing with bomb scares and natural disasters like tsunami,” he added.

Students will also get a chance to assess different types of risk faced by industrial hubs. Tiwari said that being an industrial hub with an SEZ coming up in Dahej, Vadodara faces a lot of risks. He pointed out that since the methods to avoid such risks directly come under the purview of local disaster management cells, the visiting faculty would also consist of its members. Regarding the scope and future of this course, the coordinator said that most of the students would be placed under GSDMA following the completion of their internships.