The helpline '181', launched today by Delhi government for women, stopped functioning soon after it started.
In a bid to check crimes against women in the national capital, the Delhi Government on Monday launched a round-the-clock helpline '181' for offering immediate help to women in distress.
However, minutes after its launch, the helpline suffered a technical snag.u00a0
The technical snag is a major embarrassment for the Delhi Government, which has faced intense criticism for failing to improve the security situation across the state. The helpline is now expected to be re-launched at 6 pm.
The helpline will be connected with the 185 police stations of the city.
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The number '181' can be dialed from both landline and mobile phones.
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had last week announced the setting up of the helpline service amid nationwide uproar over the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus.
The telecom ministry had released the three-digit number following the chief minister's request. This is the first three-digit number to have been allotted by the ministry in two years.u00a0