After a series of trials, the single emergency helpline number 112, which will connect people in distress with the police, has been made operational in five cities of Maharashtra, officials said on Friday. Citizens in distress can get immediate assistance from police in the state on dialling the helpline number -112- from their phones in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Pune, they said. In the next phase, emergency services like police 100, fire 101, medical 108 and assistance to women in distress 1090 will be integrated with the 112 helpline number across the state, an official said.

The single emergency response number has been activated in five cities and this service will be rolled out in different parts of the state in the near future, he said. The work of connecting remaining cities of the state with this service is also going on, the official said. The call made on the number goes to the Emergency Response Centre and from there it is directed to police authorities to assist the citizen in distress, he explained.