NEW DELHI: Why can't Delhi have a single distress number, like 911 in the US?

Over the years, police and government agencies have raked up a jumble of helplines. A woman in trouble must choose from 100, 1096, 1091, 181 and other numbers for help. For someone in Nirbhaya's situation, with just half a chance to call, a wrong choice can be disastrous. Women TOI spoke to said the multiplicity of numbers is confusing. They said there should be just one helpline number 100 and the job of deciding a suitable response should be left to the agency managing it. "When only police will come to our rescue, why do we need to juggle between helpline numbers? They should merge all the helplines into 100 as it is the only number that comes to mind in distress," said Nithya, a working woman who lives in Mayur Vihar. "I should only need to call up 100 and narrate my problem . It is easier for them to find a way to resolve it, and convenient for me to remember one number," said Shrini Sneha, who lives in Malviya Nagar. At present, there are at least half a dozen distress numbers for women, besides separate women's helplines at each police station. To record a complaint, women must call 1091; if they have been receiving obscene calls, the number is 1096. Special commissioner Sudhir Yadav takes calls from women in distress on 9818099012. Another helpline, 181, set up after the Nirbhaya case is handled by the Delhi government but women say it only advises them to directly call police. Police now seem to be in favour of consolidating the helplines. Last month, they merged 1096 and 1091. An officer said the police control room operators, who handle 100, should have the infrastructure and training to identify calls that need immediate attention while the rest should be transferred to a separate public safety answering point (PSAP). "Calls about harassment over the phone, stalkers or domestic violence can be addressed within 24 hours," he said.

NEW DELHI: Why can't Delhi have a single distress number, like 911 in the US? Over the years, police and government agencies have raked up a jumble of helplines. A woman in trouble must choose from 100, 1096, 1091, 181 and other numbers for help. For someone in Nirbhaya's situation, with just half a chance to call, a wrong choice can be disastrous. Women TOI spoke to said the multiplicity of numbers is confusing. They said there should be just one helpline number 100 and the job of deciding a suitable response should be left to the agency managing it. "When only police will come to our rescue, why do we need to juggle between helpline

numbers? They should merge all the helplines into 100 as it is the only number that comes to mind in distress," said Nithya, a working woman who lives in Mayur Vihar. "I should only need to call up 100 and narrate my problem . It is easier for them to find a way to resolve it, and convenient for me to remember one number," said Shrini Sneha, who lives in Malviya Nagar. At present, there are at least half a dozen distress numbers for women, besides separate women's helplines at each police station. To record a complaint, women must call 1091; if they have been receiving obscene calls, the number is 1096. Special commissioner Sudhir Yadav takes calls from women in distress on 9818099012. Another helpline, 181, set up after the Nirbhaya case is handled by the Delhi government but women say it only advises them to directly call police. Police now seem to be in favour of consolidating the helplines. Last month, they merged 1096 and 1091. An officer said the police control room operators, who handle 100, should have the infrastructure and training to identify calls that need immediate attention while the rest should be transferred to a separate public safety answering point (PSAP). "Calls about harassment over the phone, stalkers or domestic violence can be addressed within 24 hours," he said.