Capt launches single emergency number ‘112’
Wednesday, 20/02/2019
https://www.brightpunjabexpress.com/index.php/2019/02/20/capt-launches-single-emergency-number-112/
Further strengthening the emergency redressal system for citizens of Punjab, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday launched DIAL 112 – a single number that will replace the Dial 100 police helpline in the next two months.
The launch of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) coincided with the simultaneous national launch of the unique citizen centric service by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh from Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
The Chief Minister, who dialed the first experimental call, expressed the confidence that this people friendly initiative would go a long way in further complementing state’s endeavour to augment the state’s law and order machinery, and augment the people’s trust in the administration. He also hoped that the service would help in ensuring clean, efficient and transparent governance, for which the state government had already initiated several path-breaking reforms since its installation in March, 2017.
Captain Amarinder Singh said that this system would be extremely beneficial for people in distress situations, especially women and other vulnerable sections of the society, as there would be significant improvement in police response to calls during such situations. It would further improve the overall security environment in state and would also help in prevention of crime, he added.
ERSS, which is already operational in two states, is a fully equipped system offering end-to-end management of emergency calls by citizens. Added features for women in distress are a highlight of this system, besides prompt response to the various emergencies of citizens relating to police, health and fire services, on pan India basis. The Nirbhaya Fund has provided finances for the women calling facility.
With the fully automated and computerized facility, each call will be recorded efficiently, leading to improved police support/response to any crisis/distress situation. Initially, the aim is to achieve a response time of 10 to 12 minutes to any call, which is sought to be brought down to around 8 minutes within the next 6-8 months.
Senior officers will be able to closely monitor day-to-day reporting of grievances of citizens at 112 number.
