KOCHI: When you want to obtain an emergency ambulance service, you dial 102 and to reach the police, you dial 100. But now through a single emergency helpline number '112', immediate assistance can be sought by anyone in distress or emergency situations. The single emergency helpline number was launched recently by the Central government and will be soon implemented in the state. The helpline '112' is an integration of police (100), fire (101) and women (1090) helpline numbers and is being implemented under the central government's Nirbhaya Fund.
The number '112' has been chosen because of its GSM standard. GSM refers to the dominant mobile telephone platform which is present across the globe. The benefit being all benefit is GSM phones can dial 112 even when locked. City Police Commissioner Kori Sanjay Gurudin said, “The single emergency helpline number '112' has not been officially launched but the trial is ongoing. All the calls will be received in one single emergency helpline number making it more centralised and easy.” The advantage of introducing a single emergency helpline number is that it will be computerised and the accountability will be much higher, he said.
All types of emergencies will be addressed through this Pan-India single helpline number (112). People in distress will have to call the single number to avail different types of services such as the police, ambulance and fire department. The service has been rolled out in 20 states including Kerala and will be officially launched when the trial is over. For the project, there will be a rescue team who will manage to reach the people in distress within five to ten minutes after receiving a call at point of time.
There will be a State Emergency Response Centre (ERCs) through which the panic signal can be received via 112. Email requests can be obtained on the website or on the '112' mobile app which will be created for the purpose. The mobile app can be downloaded from the Google Play store or Apple Store. “ Through such a system, more accurate information can be obtained. As the process is fully online, it becomes easy for the rescue team to track the calls,” the commissioner said. In the first phase of the implementation of the safe city project, the single emergency helpline number has been implemented in few cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad and Lucknow and will be implemented in Kerala soon.