Soon an app to help RPF respond faster to distress calls

MUMBAI: In a bid to reduce the response time of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the railway authorities, along with a private software company, is developing an application, which will connect all calls made to the toll-free emergency helpline number 182.

The app will send an alert to the nearby RPF personnel from where the help is sought.

Currently, the control room receives the call and directs it to the concerned RPF police station to look into the issue. At present, the RPF will use the app internally and two months later it will be made public for direct complains through the app.

A senior RPF officer told The Asian Age, “The app will be used internally for the RPF personnel for two months. As soon as the emergency helpline number receives a call from a passenger, the app will issue an SMS to the concerned RPF police station's personnel. It will reduce the response time from the RPF.”

As the toll free number will be linked to the app, the entire data will be fetched from the person’s mobile such as location of the caller and number.

The location will be directly sent to the RPF and an alert will be issued to all the RPF personnel who are close to the incident site. “The logic behind introducing this app is to help the passengers as soon as possible,” he added.

According to the sources, all RPF personnel’s numbers are being collated to link with the application. The app will have a panic button, which will be given to passengers at a later stage. The passenger can directly press the panic button in case of an emergency after and the panic button will alert the RPF personnel closest to the passenger.