Govt plans to expand emergency response vehicle fleet

Time of India

3 days ago

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Bhubaneswar: The govt has decided to substantially expand its fleet of emergency response vehicles (ERVs) and increase manpower to optimise the operation of the dial-112 system across the state.
The dial-112 system, part of the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), was introduced by the Centre in 2019 following the Nirbhaya case in Delhi. This initiative aims to ensure a swift police response, particularly for women in emergencies.
The state govt launched its ERSS on March 19, 2021, consolidating multiple emergency numbers — police (100), fire (101), ambulance (108 and 102), and the women and child helpline (181) — into a single, unified platform.
Under the new plan, the number of ERVs dispatched to assist people in distress across the state will be increased from 187 to 645.
"While the ERSS was previously rolled out for district headquarters only, the govt now plans to expand the emergency network to all districts, enabling citizens in urban and rural areas to benefit," DGP Y B Khurania said. Police officials said that expanding the fleet will significantly improve response times and service quality.
The presence of additional vehicles will also broaden operational coverage during emergencies, ensuring a rapid and coordinated response to distress calls.
The state currently has 645 territorial police stations, and the existing 187 ERVs are insufficient to cover the entire state comprehensively.
"Initially approved for two years (2019–2020 to 2020–2021), the ERSS scheme was extended for a second phase of four years (2021–22 to 2024–25).
Recently, the state cabinet further extended the scheme for five years, from 2025–26 to 2029–30, with a total budget of Rs 2,260.89 crore to ensure uninterrupted and efficient emergency response services," DGP Khurania said.
The govt has also sanctioned the creation of 4,195 new positions across various ranks, while eliminating vacant redundant posts, to ensure the full-fledged implementation of the scheme. Assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) will be deployed in the ERVs, replacing the initial plan to engage retired police personnel.
"To bolster disaster resilience and ensure continuous public service, there is a plan to set up a mirror emergency response centre (MERC) in Sambalpur, complementing the existing state emergency response centre (SERS) in Bhubaneswar," the DGP said.
According to a recent govt order, the home department has been tasked with developing standard operating procedures (SOPs) to monitor and evaluate the performance of ERVs. Additionally, efforts will be made to reduce emergency response times. "A third-party audit and impact assessment will be conducted to ensure optimal resource utilisation. To prevent duplication, any similar vehicle-hiring schemes under women's safety initiatives will be integrated with the ERSS," the order stated.
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