VIJAYAWADA: Krishna (name changed), a police constable, works at the Police Control Room (PCR) functioning from the Operation and Command Control Room (OCCR) in Vijayawada. Taking emergency calls received at ‘Dial 100’ helpline, creating awareness about the pandemic and alerting the ground staff in case of an emergency situation are his routine.
On April 8, Krishna attended a call from an unidentified caller who requested the police to deliver alcohol to him and also offered a tip for the service. Irked, Krishna took up the issue with higher officials and tried to trace the caller, but in vain. “Calls like this are an insult to the police. We are working round-the clock for the sake of people. Instead, some find pleasure in making fun of the system,” he rued with dissatisfaction. Amid other services, one of the functions of the control room is to receive information from the public regarding persons who returned from abroad and other states.
At a time when the entire state is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed seven lives in the state so far, the ‘Dial 100’ service continues to receive prank calls, resulting in choking of the system. Of the 15,065 calls the helpline received from March 22 to April 11, only 4,562 were genuine, according to information provided by the OCCR.
As many as 656 were made by children and 773 were related to inquiries. The number of blank/prank calls received on the helpline was significantly higher in March than April. “People suffering from mild fever or cough also call the control room. In cases like that, we alert health officials who visit the concerned person’s house,” an official said on the condition of anonymity. Some also call to ensure whether the control room was operational. “Many callers are inquisitive to know how we respond to complaints and our working procedure. To this, we want to say that it is not the right time for all of that as the country is fighting against an invisible enemy,” the official added.