TRAI recommends 112 as single emergency number

An SMS-based access to the new emergency number may also be provided

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended ‘112’ as the single emergency number across the country to be used to call the police, fire, ambulance and other services

It would be similar to 911 in the US. The government can integrate all the existing emergency numbers such as 100, 101, 102 and 108 into the proposed ‘112’ helpline, Trai said in its recommendations. “This new number may be popularised extensively through a public awareness campaign by the government,” Trai said.

The regulator also suggested the existing emergency numbers such as 100, 101, 102 and 108 can be retained as secondary numbers. If any call is made to these numbers, the call should be directed to the new single emergency number. People will be able to make calls on ‘112’ from their mobile or landline phones even if their outgoing call facility has been debarred or the service is temporarily suspended.

An text-based access to new emergency number, in which telecom operators may be asked to provide location information of the device from where text has been sent, can also be provided, the regulator said.

The regulator also recommended setting up of public safety answering points (PSAP) to handle people's calls in distress. It has asked the government to set up a response management system under PSAP, which will coordinate for dispatch of emergency service.