In a step aimed at making Punjab Police further more effective, prompt and responsive in tackling the crime, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday flagged off a fleet of 98 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) to extend necessary emergency services to the distressed person in a time bound manner after receiving call via Emergency Response Support System or Dial 112.
The Chief Minister, while interacting with the media persons after flagging off ERVs here today, described it as a historic initiative aimed at helping the people in case of any sort of emergency. He said that equipped with Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) and Global Positioning System (GPS) these ERVs will be the first responder of any crime scene/ incident by reaching the spot immediately and will be deployed under police stations in all 28 Police districts in the state.
Bhagwant Mann termed the launch of ERVs as yet another step towards modernising and updating the Policing to facilitate the people. The Chief Minister said that contrary to the earlier system of noting down the complaints of distress persons manually and then acting on it in a time span of 20-25 minutes, these ERVs will help the complainant promptly by on the spot action.
He said that these ERVs will be connected to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)- a centralized call receiving centre of Dial 112 and District Co-ordination Centre (DCC) with the help of MDTs. Moreover, Bhagwant Mann said that the live location of these Emergency Response Vehicles will be available at Dial 112 Control Room (PSAP) and District Coordinator Centre with the help of Mobile Data Terminal devices thereby ensuring help to people in a time bound manner.
The Chief Minister said that being a border state a number of forces inimical to state have been chalking out nefarious designs to disturb hard earned peace of state but the Punjab Police has always foiled such attempts. He said that to further overcome major challenges faced by the state it is imperative that the Police force is updated as per advanced requirements in the field of investigation, science and technology.
Bhagwant Mann said that the Punjab government is committed to upgrade and modernize the state Police on scientific lines. The Chief Minister reiterated that Punjab will be soon joining hands with multinational Google to update the state Police on modern lines. He said that a comprehensive blueprint has been already prepared in this regard and the formal agreement will be signed soon.
Bhagwant Mann said that it will help in enhancing the efficiency of the Punjab Police to tackle any sort of unforeseen challenge in the state. The Chief Minister further said that Rs 41 crore has already been issued for updating the communication system of the Punjab Police.
Likewise, he said that in order to further strengthen the cyber cell of the state Police, the Punjab government has sanctioned Rs 30 crore. Bhagwant Mann said that this will help in checking the cyber cell effectively thereby maintaining the law and order in the state.
The Chief Minister further said that for the first time in the history of the state, the notorious practice of registering false cases against the innocent people has been done away by the Punjab government. He categorically said that rule of law is prevailing in the state and every single action of the government is based on the prescribed laws.
Bhagwant Mann said that anyone who takes law into his hand will not be spared however affluent he may be. The Chief Minister further said that the state has no single drop of spare water to share with the other states.
He said that Punjab is already making strenuous efforts to ensure optimum utilization of canal water in the state adding that the Sirhind Feeder that caters to water need of entire Malwa region has a capacity of only 5200 cusec of waters whereas Indira Gandhi canal which flows parallel to feeder has capacity of 18,000 cusec of water.
Bhagwant Mann said that if Rajasthan needs water it can get its own share released because Punjab is already finding it hard to cater to the needs of its own farmers. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also inspected an exhibition of the ultra modern weapons currently being used by the Punjab Police.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Additional Chief Secretary A Venuprasad, Additional Chief Secretary Home Anurag Verma, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav and others.