Punjab: Rescue 1122 receives only 2.43% genuine calls

[Naveed Yaseen]

The Punjab Emergency Service Rescue 1122 received a total of 5.89 million calls during 2008, out of which 2.43% were genuine emergency calls.

According to the spokesman of Rescue-1122, its control rooms in all major cities of Punjab including Rawalpindi, Murree Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, D.G. Khan, Sahiwal, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Sialkot received 5,899,011 calls in 2008. These calls include 2.43% genuine emergency calls, 7.39% information seeking calls, 25.82% distorted/dropped calls, 1.18% wrong number calls, 0.13% fake emergency calls and 63.02 % obnoxious calls. The break up of obnoxious calls revealed that 53.79% were girls’ gossip calls, 32.84% boys’ gossip calls, 4.46% kids’ calls, 1.54% musical calls, 3.07% abusing calls and 4.26% irrelevant calls.

As a result of the effective monitoring and call recording software, the fake emergency calls were identified and restricted. In Rawalpindi over 485,942 calls were received. Out of which only 6,847 were genuine emergency calls, 29,518 information seeking calls, 135,858 distorted/dropped calls, 13,700 wrong number calls, 41 fake calls and 299,978 obnoxious calls. These obnoxious calls in Rawalpindi include 106,502 from girls, 140,678 from boys, 5,118 from kids, 3,934 musical calls, 12,836 abusing calls and 30,910 missed calls.

The service tried several solutions which included blocking of unwanted callers, warnings over phone and sensitising the caller about the significance of emergency number that helped control unnecessary calls. The service may take legal action which includes imprisonment for six months or Rs50,000 fine or both.

Director General Rescue 1122 Dr. Rizwan Naseer who reviewed the call data said that it is the duty and moral responsibility of every citizen to respect the emergency number 1122. He said that we would still prefer that the citizens understand the importance of emergency number and not deprive the emergency victims of their right to be provided timely rescue and emergency service.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=157641