The Elders Helpline has now been extended to the entire city. After registering, a resident need only press ‘2’ on her phone
Chennai:
If you are a senior citizen living alone in the city, police assistance can be sought by simply dialling a mobile number.
The ‘Elders Helpline’ is an innovative project of the city police to assist senior citizens in need.
Those
desirous of availing the facility can call the local police who will
assist in linking the user’s mobile phone with the Closed User Group
(CUG) number of the respective police station on the speed dial format.
“Once enrolled, the user can seek police assistance by pressing ‘2’ on the mobile phone for a couple of seconds.
The
concerned police station will get to know that the senior citizen is
need of help. The system is programmed in such a way that police will
reach the caller in less than five minutes,” a police official said.
After the scheme evoked a good response in the Adyar district,
Commissioner of Police S. George decided to extend the facility to all
the 135 police stations in the city. Now, senior citizens across Chennai
who live alone can get their mobile phones and contact particulars
enrolled with the local police station.
Within weeks of the project being launched in the South Zone, at least 1,500 senior citizens got enrolled.
“A
month ago, the Neelankarai police station received a call from a woman
who was living alone in a remote location. A patrol vehicle reached the
house within a few minutes. The visibly frail woman said she saw a snake
entering her room. Police managed to locate the snake under some
clothes and it turned out to be a venomous one,” Joint Commissioner of
Police A. Arun said.
With hundreds of police
personnel on the move in the city at any given point of time, the
‘Elders Helpline’ is expected to go a long way in reaching out to the
old and needy.
