Punjab has taken a decisive step toward strengthening citizen safety and streamlining emergency responses by integrating multiple critical helplines under a single platform. In a move aligned with Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s vision of making public services more accessible, Punjab Police has merged the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Helpline 1033 and the Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 with Dial 112, the state’s unified emergency response system. This integration means that people across Punjab now need to remember just one number, 112, to seek help for highway accidents, breakdowns, hazards, financial frauds, and cybercrime cases.
The initiative has been carried out under the directions of Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav and directly supervised by Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla. Earlier, citizens had to dial separate numbers for different emergencies, making the process confusing and time-consuming. With this one-window approach, response times are being reduced significantly while improving efficiency and coordination between agencies. Special DGP Shukla explained that calls made to 112 or 1033 for highway-related emergencies are automatically routed to both police units and NHAI resources in real time, ensuring faster deployment. Similarly, calls about cybercrime made to 112 or 1930 are now directly recorded in the National Cybercrime Portal through trained cyber dispatchers stationed at the Dial 112 Control Room.
The expansion of Dial 112 transforms it into a central hub covering all emergency needs, including police, fire, ambulance, disaster management, highway safety, and cybercrime under one roof. This unified system is backed by 257 Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) and 144 specially designated Sadak Surakhya Force (SSF) vehicles, deployed across Punjab’s cities and highways to provide rapid on-ground support. The government has also invested heavily to strengthen the system further, allocating ₹100 crore for new ERVs and ₹53 crore for a state-of-the-art Dial 112 headquarters, which will make it one of the most advanced emergency response models in the country.
For Indian citizens, especially highway commuters and digital users vulnerable to online fraud, this integration ensures help is just one call away, removing confusion over multiple helplines. For global observers, Punjab’s model showcases how regional governments in India are adopting next-generation technologies and centralized response systems to protect citizens in an increasingly complex safety environment. By bridging road safety with cyber security under a single platform, Punjab sets an example of how governments worldwide can rethink emergency response to match the challenges of the digital era.
This is a web generated news report.