Gujarat on Tuesday doubled the fleet of vehicles deployed under its 112 emergency response system to 1,000, with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi flagging off 500 new advanced ‘Janrakshak’ vehicles in Gandhinagar.
The expansion is aimed at further reducing the time taken by police to reach people in distress. The state government has set a target of bringing the average emergency response time below eight minutes.
According to the Gujarat Police, the state’s average police response time has already fallen to 10 minutes and 49 seconds from 27 minutes following the introduction of a 150-seat emergency call centre, Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) technology and caller-location systems.
The Janrakshak project handled more than 11.04 lakh integrated emergency service requests during its first 11 months, including over 6.74 lakh police emergency incidents in which immediate assistance was provided, the police said.
The 112 system integrates multiple emergency services on a single platform, including police, ambulance and fire services, the women’s and child helplines, disaster response and traffic-related assistance.
The 112 panic button has also been integrated into the Ola, Uber, Rapido and Bharat Taxi applications, allowing users to seek emergency assistance through the platforms.
The government has also introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure that jurisdictional boundaries do not delay emergency response. Under the system, the nearest available Police Control Room vehicle can be dispatched to an incident regardless of the police jurisdiction in which it occurs.
Minister of State Kamlesh Patel said the state government had consistently worked to ensure peace, prosperity and security, and that the Gujarat Police remained committed to public safety.
“The 112 emergency service would provide faster and more effective assistance so that police help could reach citizens as quickly as possible,” he said.
The new Janrakshak vehicles have been designed for round-the-clock emergency operations and are equipped with Mobile Data Terminals for receiving real-time information, GPS-based vehicle tracking, emergency light bars and sirens, public-address systems, fire extinguishers, first-aid kits and search lights.
Personnel deployed in the vehicles are also provided with body cameras, helmets and other protective equipment, while dashboard cameras have been installed in the vehicles.
The expansion follows the launch of Gujarat’s Dial 112 Janrakshak emergency response framework in 2025, when the state introduced dedicated vehicles and centralised emergency response infrastructure to bring multiple emergency services under a unified system.
(With IANS inputs)
