State may soon get US-like 911 emergency helpline

Similar to the 911 emergency helpline in the United States, Maharashtra too may soon get 112 as its single emergency number. This will merge and eventually replace other helpline numbers like police (100), fire services (101) and ambulances (108). The state home department and police are considering a model wherein control rooms may be established at commissionerate or district levels instead of one centralised facility. This will ensure that call receivers can understand the language, dialects and landmarks provided by callers, which may not be the case with centralised control rooms.

"A single emergency helpline number will ensure a faster and coordinated response during emergencies," said a home department official. "We are considering an option wherein calls to the emergency number will be routed to a local control room so that the local language and landmarks can be understood better. This is because the purpose of the project is to ensure immediate relief to callers," he added. The official said that currently calls made to 112 were being routed to local police control rooms.

Control rooms will be upgraded and GPS will be installed in vehicles to reduce their response time. The models in use in states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are also being examined. "The model will be finalised based on the balance between costs and operational dynamics. We will also take a decision based on whether the response time is increased or decreased," the official said. The Centre will also provide with financial assistance.