CHANDIGARH: In a move to make emergency services more accessible and efficient, the Punjab Police has integrated the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Helpline 1033 and the Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 with the Dial 112— Punjab's Unified Emergency Response System. This integration now allows citizens to simply dial 112 to report highway accidents, breakdowns, hazards, as well as financial frauds and cybercrimes.
This initiative will bring multiple critical services under a single-window platform, ensuring quicker and easier access to support. Earlier, citizens had to call a specific helpline number to report fraud or road accidents, making it difficult for them to memorise different helpline numbers. Till now, the 112 helpline has been used only to report different crimes happening across the state.
Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla, who has been directly supervising the Dial 112 said, "Now, whether you are a road user in distress on a highway or a victim of cyber fraud, a single call to 112 is all it takes. Your case will be instantly transferred between systems for faster action, eliminating duplication and cutting delays." He elaborated that all highway distress calls dialling either 112 or 1033 are now linked in real-time to both police resources and NHAI, ensuring prompt action.
Furthermore, victims of cybercrime can dial 112 or 1930, where their complaints are directly registered into the National Cybercrime Portal by specially trained cyber dispatchers stationed at the Dial 112 Control Room. Terming Dial 112 as the nerve centre of Punjab's emergency response, Shukla said this integration has transformed it into a truly unified platform covering Police, Fire, Ambulance, Disaster, Highway Safety, and Cybercrime under one roof.
He highlighted that the system is backed by 257 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) and 144 dedicated Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF) vehicles deployed across the state and on highways for rapid intervention. "Under the direct supervision of DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav, we are committed to continuously strengthening Dial 112 with next-generation technology and integration. This step marks a major leap in enhancing citizen access to critical services and reducing response times, especially on highways and in cybercrime cases,” he added.
Shukla said that the Punjab Government has placed the highest priority on this service, sanctioning a budget of Rs100 crore for new ERVs and Rs 53 crore for a dedicated Dial 112 headquarters building, paving the way for one of the country's most advanced and citizen-focused emergency response systems.