West Bengal has launched a statewide Dial 112 emergency response system with 450 cars and 450 motorcycles, allowing residents to seek police, fire, ambulance and women and child safety services through a single emergency number. Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the programme at Brigade Parade Grounds on Saturday and said the state would expand the vehicle network over the next year.
Residents can contact the emergency response system by dialling 112, sending an SMS to the number or using the 112 India mobile application. The service connects callers to police, fire brigade, ambulance and women and child safety services. The police emergency number is 100, the fire service can be reached at 101, and ambulance services are available through 102 and 108, but Dial 112 is intended to bring these channels together through one point of access.
Adhikari said the 450 four-wheelers and 450 motorcycles unveiled at the launch marked the beginning of the programme. He said the government planned to provide four motorcycles and four cars to every police station in the state within the next year. The expansion is intended to improve the ability of police teams to respond to emergencies across West Bengal.
The chief minister said West Bengal Police currently had a response time of around 90 minutes, compared with about 15 minutes for Kolkata Police. He said the difference needed to be reduced, linking emergency response performance to the availability of police personnel, vehicles, cyber capabilities and other infrastructure.
Adhikari also said more than 11,000 constables would be appointed before Durga Puja. He criticised the state’s reliance on civic volunteers and argued that the police force needed additional manpower and equipment to respond to crime and protect personnel during operations.
The launch came alongside the chief minister’s update on the West Bengal Public Safety and Control of Anti-Social Activities Bill, 2026, commonly referred to as the anti-goonda bill. The bill has been passed by the state assembly and is under consideration by the Union home ministry. Adhikari said he expected the Centre’s clearance within the next few days, citing provisions related to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and capital punishment as issues involved in the delay.
The chief minister also referred to two other measures intended to strengthen police powers. One law provides for recovering compensation for damage to government property, while another concerns preventive arrest. He said the compensation-related law had come into force and that the other measure remained under consideration. The state assembly had earlier passed an amendment to the West Bengal Maintenance of Public Order Bill to enable compensation recovery for damage to public and private property during riots and violent protests; that amendment subsequently became an act.
During the launch, Adhikari cited attacks on police personnel and referred to an alleged stone-pelting incident involving CRPF personnel on Park Street and the vandalisation of a police outpost in Asansol. He said the government would maintain zero tolerance towards drug abuse, child marriage and underage pregnancy involving girls below 18 years.
The immediate operational milestone is the deployment of the 900 vehicles launched under Dial 112. The state has also set the next year as the timeline for providing four cars and four motorcycles to every police station, while the proposed recruitment of more than 11,000 constables is expected before Durga Puja.
