West Bengal has launched Emergency Response 112, replacing the existing Dial 100 number as the state’s designated emergency contact, with vehicles deployed across 450 police stations for faster responses to incidents.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari inaugurated the service at Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday. The service is part of a Union Ministry of Home Affairs project operating across the country, but had not previously been introduced in West Bengal, according to Anandabazar’s report.
As part of the launch, one vehicle and one motorcycle have been provided to each of the state’s 450 police stations. The chief minister said every station would receive three additional vehicles and motorcycles within the next year. The deployment is intended to help police teams reach locations more quickly during emergencies.
The state will also create dedicated emergency-response teams at every police station. Each team will have 20 personnel, including five women police officers, according to the announcement. The report did not specify the total number of personnel being assigned across the state or the operating procedures for transferring calls from the old number to 112.
West Bengal currently has the Dial 100 emergency service. Adhikari alleged that the system had become effectively non-functional and said the new number would provide a more effective emergency channel. The report did not include technical details on the call-centre network, response-time targets, dispatch system or the integration of 112 with other emergency services.
The launch places emergency response capacity alongside police infrastructure as a state-level public service issue. The effectiveness of the new number will depend not only on public awareness but also on whether calls can be received, assessed and transmitted quickly to the nearest police team. The initial deployment of vehicles and motorcycles indicates that the programme is designed to connect the helpline with field-level mobility at police stations.
Adhikari also praised the state police and said its capabilities were not inferior to those of central agencies such as the National Investigation Agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. He referred to investigations including the alleged stone-mining mafia case involving Tulu Mondal in Birbhum while praising the district superintendent of police.
The chief minister said political interference would not be tolerated in cases involving drugs, intoxicants, child marriage or crimes against women. He also promised action against beneficiaries of institutional corruption without regard to political affiliation or religion. These statements formed part of the wider address at the launch but were separate from the operational announcement on Emergency Response 112.
The chief minister further said more than 11,000 constables would join the state police before the puja season after recruitment-related complications were resolved. The next stated implementation milestone for the emergency service is the planned addition of three more vehicles and motorcycles to every police station within one year.
