HP helpline: 87% calls seeking evacuation, most from Punjab

Over three dozen officials attending distress calls at centres set up in the state say that most of them are regarding evacuation, followed by queries about food

Over three dozen officials attending distress calls at centres set up in the state say that most of them are regarding evacuation, followed by queries about food and medicines.

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These call centres became operational on April 1 after the state set up a disaster management helpline to collect and give information related to Covid-19.

State disaster management authority director-cum- special secretary D C Rana said, “In the last three days, the staff has received around 87% calls seeking help with evacuation, and the callers were mostly from Punjab. Only 3% calls pertained to queries about medicines, while the remaining 10% were regarding ration supplies.”

Rana, who is also the state nodal officer for COVID-19 outbreak, said the call centres are equipped with over three dozen computers, mobile phones, landlines and satellite phones to attend emergency calls. Besides this, the staffers generate a database of callers which is shared with the districts administrations. In the first two days, the call centre received nearly 400 calls.

“We are using special software to generate data,” said Rana, who monitors the call centre at the secretariat for over 12 hours every day.

The call centre is headed by principal secretary (revenue) Onkar Chand Sharma, who is assisted by five teams of state services officers.

“At times it is quite distressing to hear callers explain their pain and plight,” said Garima Sharma one of the staff members at the call centre. “Recently there were two calls of medical emergency. We immediately got in touch with the administration in Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh to facilitate the respective callers,” she said.

The helpline numbers are 0177- 2626076, 2626077, 2622204, 2629688, 2629939 and 2621154.