Now dial, 112 for all emergency services in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Mar 20: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has launched the Rs 157-crore ''Dial 112'' Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) wherein people can call the toll-free number for all emergency services including police, fire and health.

"The integrated single-number service will be very beneficial for everyone, especially women and elderly persons," Patnaik said, while dedicating the system on Friday.

The chief minister also inaugurated the State Emergency Response Centre (SERC) and flagged off the emergency response vehicles fitted with mobile data terminals.

The state government has allocated Rs 157.12 crore and 2,500 posts for the project, an official release said.

With the introduction of the new response system, existing emergency numbers like 100 (police), 101 (fire) and 102 and 108 (ambulance) will be integrated into the 112 toll- free number in a phased manner, it said.

In the 24/7 service, the SERC, digitally connected to 34 district coordination centres and strategically located emergency response vehicles, will respond to voice calls, SMSes, emails and web requests for help, Patnaik said.

He appealed to the people to download the 112 India mobile application and register themselves.
A caller will also be able to send distress signals by pressing the power button on a smartphone three times in quick succession or by long press on 5 or 9 keys on a feature phone to active a panic call.

People can also log on to the state ERSS website www.or.erss.in to place an SOS alert. The 112 India application, available on Google Play Store and Apple Store, can also activate a panic call.

A total of 236 vehicles, 198 professional call-takers and 2,341 police personnel of various ranks have been sanctioned by the state government to efficiently run the system.

A large number of police two and four-wheelers will also be linked with the emergency response system, an official said.

PTI