ET : 100 for help, but only within city limits : Oct 21,2007
100 for help, but only within city limits
Harsimran Singh NEW DELHI
KAVITA Muthanna, 38, felt helpless for the first time in her life last Sunday night. A consultant with top MNC brands, Kavita had gone to meet a friend at a Gurgaon farmhouse where she saw a murder attempt being made. A robbber had split open a friend’s skull with a sickle and he was bleeding profusely. She did what anyone in her plight would: she called up the police, or at least, dialled 100, prefixing it with the Gurgaon code of 0124, since her phone was registered in Delhi. To her horror, she failed to connect and her mobile phone flashed the message: the number is not in use!
It’s shocking but true. If you think, a mobile phone can connect you to anyone during an emergency, think again. It cannot connect you to the nearest police station or hospital if you are stranded on a highway next time.
That’s because India does not have a countrywide-helpline number through which help can reach you anywhere be it Kohima or Kanyakumari. More frightening is the fact that in many areas, mobile operators have not entered into interconnect agreements with BSNL to route emergency helpline calls.
When ET checked with the Department of Telecom, which was responsible for connecting India through a single emergency number since it started telecom operations in India, DoT passed the buck on BSNL. BSNL was instructed to connect all districts in India through a single emergency number years ago when it was a part of DoT. About 50% of India is still unconnected with a single helpline number. However, DoT has no such order pending right now, a DoT official told ET.
Responding to an ET query, a BSNL director counters the figure: About 15% of the districts are left. More than half of India is connected. We will complete the project in 4-5 months, a BSNL director said. Currently emergency numbers don’t connect to the respective circle police station if you are a subscriber roaming outside. Worse still, if you want police or an ambulance to reach your loved ones stuck in an emergency, numbers simply wont connect. When ET dialled 0522-100 (Lucknow Police) from Delhi, all operators sounded :number not valid. In contrast, the US has 911 as a common emergency number (for police, ambulance and fire) which can be dialled from anywhere in the country. When helplines fail
Similarly Britain has 999 and EU has 112. According to a telecom expert, who did not wish to be quoted: It’s the problem of mobile operators who have not entered nto interconnect agreements with MTNL or BSNL for routing calls on roaming to the respective circle emeregerncy helpline.
Says Ms Muthanna, who managed to save her friend by rushing him off to a hospital: My SIM card phone book had all so called important numbers pre-built in like Caller Tunes, Florists, Pizza Delivery. Not a single ambulance, fire or police number is inserted by any of the operators, she tells ET.
Perhaps, its also because these numbers are carried toll free and operators dont obtain any revenue on them. When contacted by ET, Cellular Operators Assocication of India (COAI) said it will look into the issue as it is an important matter.
It’s an old important issue dating back to 1995. The interconnect at BSNL or MTNL transit switches with mobile operators is missing, says another telecom expert. There is one saving grace, however. In areas where 100 is implemented, a call to 911 or 112 is routed to 100 (Police) in India.
Ms Muthanna however seems to have learnt her lesson. I have realized that its better to save the local police stations number always as the next time you are in an emeregency, a 100 or 101 may not work. Just in case you have a Delhi registered mobile phone and you need to call the police while in Gurgaon, dial 0124-2300100. If that doesn’t look like an emergency number to you, you always have the option of getting your eyes checked at the nearest optician!
harsimran.singh@timesgroup.com
Publication:Economic Times Mumbai; Date:Oct 21, 2007; Section:Front Page; Page Number:1
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