Nagaland got a state-of-the-art emergency response system on December 1, coinciding with the formation day of the state and the inauguration of the annual Hornbill Festival.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh launched the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for the state at a function in Kohima.
With the start of the service, residents in Nagaland do not require to remember multiple helpline numbers as they can now dial 112 or use panic button on their phones or 112 India mobile app to connect to a single number based 112 emergency services which will connect to police, fire, health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre in the state.
Singh also flagged off Emergency Response Vehicles fitted with mobile device terminals.
The central government has allocated Rs 321.69 crore under Nirbhaya Fund for implementation of ERSS project across the country. Nagaland has been allocated Rs 4.88 crore for the project.
Nagaland is the first among the Northeast states and the second in India to launch Pan-India single emergency number ‘112’ under ERSS.
Under this project, one Emergency Response Centre (ERC) has been established in Kohima along with 3 district command centers (DCCs), at Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung. The Emergency Response Centre is capable of receiving emergency calls through voice call to 112, email, panic buttons activated calls and 112 India mobile App.
Nagaland has integrated ERSS with tourist police and highway patrol and will expand to interior districts subsequently.
Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio expressed his gratitude to the Union home minister for inaugurating the 112-single emergency service and for providing financial assistance for the project. He said that they will be able to overcome connectivity issues in remote districts.
