Call 112 for emergencies; TRAI recommends all purpose helpline number to government

By Newsgram Staff Writer

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed an all purpose emergency helpline for India. The number 112 will serve similar purposes like USA's 911 or UK's 999.

The proposal suggested emergency numbers like 100 (police), 101 (fire), 102 (ambulance) and 108 (disaster management) to be included under the new national emergency number 112, a news report said.

The number was chosen for some practical reasons. 112 is an inbuilt emergency number on GSM phones. Plus numbers like 100 wasn't considered due to the stigma attached to it as a police emergency number, the Times of India reported.

But TRAI officials have said the implementation of the proposal will be a mammoth task. Inadequate infrastructure and police being a state list subject can be hurdles in achieving the goal.

'There are many issues that fall under the ambit of the state governments and thus it will be better to implement this in a phased manner through coordinated action between various establishments.' TRAI secretary Sudhir Gupta said.

TRAI has made its formal recommendations to the government which take a decision soon.