Lack of priority to SOS No '100' by telcos a serious issue: HC

The Delhi High Court today termed as "serious" police's claim that calls to emergency telephone number 100 often go unanswered as these do not reach them due to lack of bandwidth and priority from telcos, including MTNL, and sought the Centre's response.

Delhi Police told a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar that if calls to 100 are heard to be ringing it need not mean police were not attending to them as often it has not even reached them due to lack of dedicated bandwidth for the emergency number and lack of priority to it as it is a free service.

Noting it was a "serious matter", the court issued notice to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT) asking it to be represented so that appropriate orders can be passed on this issue.

"We are told that 100 number for reaching police is not a dedicated line for police nor does it have priority. This is a serious matter. We are told it is due to insufficient and dedicated bandwidth given to the number by MTNL and other telecom service providers," the court noted.

The court observed that this issue can be controlled by giving dedicated bandwidth to the police which can be worked out with MTNL and other telecom service providers (TSPs).

It also noted that the Centre was yet to take action on Delhi Police' request to it for dedicated bandwidth and location-based services and details from TSPs.

The issue came to light when the court was informed about the response times of police, ranging from two to 37 minutes, to distress calls made to the police control room (PCR).

Senior advocate Chetan Sharma and advocate Shailendra Babbar, appearing for the police, said the problem of unanswered calls occurred during peak hours and because priority is not give to 100 by TSPs as it is a free service.

The bench termed it as "startling" and said crime does not wait for peak and non-peak hours.

The court was hearing a PIL initiated by it after the December 16, 2012 gangrape case, in which it has been giving directions from time to time with regard to improving crime investigation and protection of women in the national capital.