The panic buttons installed in vehicles in Chandigarh for safety have now become a cause of trouble for the Chandigarh Police and administration. In the last 2 years, this button was pressed thousands of times, but every time the answer was “It was pressed by mistake”. There was not a single call that was about any real trouble.
Now, in view of this situation, changes have been made in the system. Now, on pressing the panic button, the call will first go to the control room of the State Transport Authority (STA). The officers sitting there will first decide whether the call is really important or not. If they find the matter serious, only then will they send the call to the Chandigarh Police.
Police and Transport Department took a joint decision
Recently, a meeting of Chandigarh Police and Transport officials was held. It was decided that now every panic button call will not be sent directly to the police. First, the STA team will check whether the call is correct or made by mistake. This will save the time of the police and action can be taken at the right time in real emergencies.
According to STA officials, till now 99.9% of the calls were unnecessary. The button is pressed by mistake and the control room has to be alerted. This not only wastes time but also leads to misuse of important resources. This is the reason why now the call will be investigated first and then if needed, it will be sent to the police.
Responsibility of control room increased
Now the role of STA control room has become even more important. As soon as the panic button is pressed, the call will first go there. There the officers will talk to the vehicle owner and see if there is any problem or not. If the matter seems serious, only then the call will be sent to the police.
The administration has appealed to the people to use the panic button only in trouble. Now strict action can be taken if the button is pressed repeatedly without any reason. The transport department will now monitor this system more than before.
The panic button is connected to a mobile app or GPS system
Panic buttons are usually installed in government registered autos, taxis, buses and other public vehicles. This button is at a place where the driver or passengers can easily reach. Sometimes more than one panic button is installed in vehicles so that it can be pressed easily from any seat. In some vehicles, this button is also connected to a mobile app or GPS system, so that the location information also reaches the control room immediately.