Ham radio training for civic volunteers starts

Kolkata: In a significant stride towards its plan to set up ham radio centres in each police station under its jurisdiction, the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate has kicked off a two-month training on amateur radio for the civic volunteers posted in these police stations.

As many as 26 civic volunteers, one each from 26 police stations under the Commissionerate, are part of the training. The training started on Monday at the conference hall in the office of the Commissionerate.

“Such training programme for the police force is not only the first of its kind in the state but also in the country,“ claimed Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of West Bengal Radio Club, an organisation of ham radio operators in the state which is conducting the programme.

Amateur radio acts as an alternative mode of communication when the normal communication system goes haywire during a natural calamity. “The local police are one of the first responders during any disaster or natural calamity. They have a radio frequency associated with their wireless sets through which they communicate. But if in any case, during an earthquake or severe cyclone, their connectivity through such wireless gets jeopardised, then ham radio is the only means of communication. The stakeholders will be equipped to set up temporary radio stations wherever there is a need to do so,” said Nag Biswas.

Ham radio operators Pashupati Mondal, Dipak Chakraborty and Jayanta Baidya are conducting the training session.

On completion of training, the civic volunteers will have to appear for an examination and on clearing the same, they will receive a certificate from the Ministry of Telecommunication.

The Commissionerate will have a central ham radio station at its office and one in each police station.