Answer: The given case study highlights a situation where a civil servant has to prioritise in a rescue operation during a natural disaster, utilise limited resources at his disposal accordingly and simultaneously maintain law and order. The key stakeholders involve the locals, tourists, international convoy, and government of both the states and the Centre.

(a) Issues faced by Sunil in the given scenario include:

• Inexperience: Sunil has recently been posted as a District Magistrate (DM) in the hilly district. Therefore, the foremost issue he faces is not being fully aware of the topography, available infrastructure, potential weak areas as per occurrence of natural hazards, areas vulnerable to violence etc.
• Saving the pilgrimage site: The district has a famous pilgrimage site. Since people’s faith is associated with such sites, one major issue is to get information regarding its damage and protect it from any further damage due to spill over effects of the disaster.
• Rescuing the international convoy: An international convoy is also trapped in the disaster. Therefore, it has become a matter of international concern. An appropriate and quick search and rescue operation needs to be conducted.
• Distribution of resources: Available resources are to be distributed efficiently so that locals and stranded tourists from other states can be saved.
• Infrastructure constraints: As roads and bridges are damaged, Sunil would face issues in conducting/coordinating rescue operations efficiently.
• Basic necessities: Sunil would face issues regarding arrangement of adequate food, water, medicine and shelter facilities for those rescued, as well as those who are trapped.
• Safety of women: There would be an issue of safety of both local women and female tourists.
• Retrieval and identification of dead bodies: There has been a high casualty. If immediate steps are not taken to retrieve the bodies, a law-and-order problem can escalate. Also, there can be a health hazard in the district.
• Resolution of complaints: The complaints and requests flooding from different corners of the country need to be addressed.

In this situation, Sunil has to take on a leadership role, work in collaboration with experienced employees who might be his subordinates, efficiently distribute the available resources and manpower and display emotional intelligence and ethical decision-making in assigning priority to rescue operations for different groups of people trapped.
(b) Course of action for Sunil to ensure law and order as well as to expedite rescue operations of all concerned:

• Sunil, being a District Magistrate, and head of the District Disaster Management Authority, needs to call an emergency meeting of the concerned officials, including senior local officers who are well aware of the topography.
• He should assess the available resources at hand, infrastructure in the affected areas that can be used in the operation and areas which are vulnerable e.g., a dam or similar structure that needs to be protected from damage.
• He should create several teams and assign specific roles to the National and State Disaster Response Force for search, rescue, and rehabilitation missions.
• He should deploy emergency response teams and portal/helplines separately for the victims who are trapped and their families. Sunil can also make use of GPS/GIS technology to map the exact points where victims are trapped or a greater number of people need rescuing.
• Sunil needs to inform the Central Government of the steps being planned for saving the international convoy and immediately ask for assistance/resources if needed.
• He can request for the assistance of the army to construct temporary roads or bridges in critical areas to fasten the rescue operations.
• Sunil should dispatch a special team to assess the damage of the pilgrim site and take immediate action for its protection.
• The state government needs to be informed about the extent of the disaster and the food, water, and medicine requirements for the people trapped in the district.
• Sunil should identify the areas (school building, hospitals, premises of temples, etc.) where rescued victims will be brought for further assistance. Conveyance facilities need to be arranged for pilgrims to be transferred to a safe location from where they can proceed to their homes. He should also ensure that the district and rescue centres remain safe for women and children.
• He should also make use of technology to broadcast messages for the trapped victims about how to identify their positions, where to head for rescuing, which areas to avoid, etc.
• He should devise a platform available to all where the victims can identify themselves as safe, as trapped in a particular location, as being rescued and kept at a particular location. Further, names of those who are found dead should be updated.
• Sunil should ensure that the local shopkeepers are not creating monopoly or hoarding essential goods.
• Sunil should also assign roles related to lost and found articles so that people are able to find their documents or other belongings which they might have lost because of the disaster.

Earthquakes are unforeseen and uncertain situations. For a developing and populous country like India, resources often fall short while dealing with such disasters. In such a situation, Sunil has to be prudent and emotionally intelligent. Further, to avoid panic and a law-and-order situation, periodic dissemination of information should be prioritised.