Helplines for the visually impaired and hearing challenged: to be launched in Mumbai :
From Aug 15, help will be just an SMS away
Mumbai Police to launch emergency number for hearing impaired, visually challenged
Ashutosh Patil
Mumbai, August 7: In a “first in the country”, the Mumbai Police will launch a mobile number dedicated to emergency messages from the hearing impaired and the visually challenged from August 15. “The new toll-free telephone line will be a mobile number provided by a private cellular service provider,” said Hemant Karkare, Joint Commissioner of Police, Administration. “The cost of the short message will be as per the charges of the service provider of the caller,” he added. The Mumbai Police already have a general helpline number – 100, and their main control room receives 15,000 calls per day on an average. While there are 20 telephone lines dedicated to receive distress calls, there was no special arrangement for the deaf or the visually-challenged. The receiving mobile will be stationed permanently with the Control Room Officer (CRO) at the police headquarters located opposite Mahatma Phule Mandai. After receiving the SMS, the CRO will trace the police vehicle nearest to the caller using the Global Positioning System and instruct the wireless operator of the specific region to pass on the information to the particular police vehicle and the police station concerned. The main control room as well as the police station will ensure that the call is attended as early as possible. “This will help people who witness wrongful activity but do not have the courage to call police in front of others. Now they can send an SMS from the spot and stop the crime,” said R C Tayde, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Control Room). “Once we respond to the distress calls, we will also give the callers feedback on redressal of their grievance,” Karkare added. Approaching this new emergency number, according to the police, will be easy. The caller just needs to send an SMS to this number stating the type of emergency and the location. The police will attend the call even if the caller does not identify himself. However, the mobile number will accept short messages only – all incoming calls will be barred and there is no two-way communication. “Mumbai Police will be the first police department in India to start such a service. We welcome their initiative as SMS is a very convenient medium for the deaf and the dumb to interact with,” said M Vaidyanathan, Section Officer from Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for Hearing Handicapped
Source : http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=249921