The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Less for emergency more for fun

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 15, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Less for emergency more for fun

Special Correspondent

Fake calls bombard EMRI service on school holidays

HYDERABAD: The numerals ‘108’ may have brand recall, but come school holidays, call handlers at the Emergency Management Research (EMRI) get the jitters.

On Thursday, EMRI’s call centre handled about 32,000 calls. It included around 2,500 calls from children and all call handlers would hear would be a giggle, silence and another giggle.

Experience has shown that such calls are on the rise during holidays when bored children would use their phone to call 108 in the afternoons.

EMRI Chief Operating Officer Sudhakar Nukala said 75 per cent of calls were classified ‘fake’. “People call at night saying they are ‘lonely’ and would 108 get them ‘company’ and ask where they can get a bottle because wine shops were closed. Freak callers even propose to women operators saying they liked the voice. Our real work is affected. On Thursday, only about 8,000 were emergency-related of which 2,759 required ambulance despatch,” he said.

Hits a record

EMRI CEO Venkat Changavalli told The Hindu that Thursday’s achievement meant a 10-fold increase since December, 2006 last. “Nation-wide, there are about 100 million emergencies ,” he said. The number ‘108’ would soon be declared as toll-free across India.

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