West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari has launched 900 vehicles for the state’s Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112), setting a target of reducing the police’s average emergency response time from around 90 minutes and expanding mobility at police stations across the state.
The rollout, held at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday, included 450 four-wheelers and 450 motorcycles. Adhikari said the new support system was intended to improve the speed at which police respond to emergency calls, and described the vehicle deployment as the beginning of a wider overhaul of the state police’s operational capacity.
The chief minister compared the state police’s reported average response time with that of Kolkata Police, which he said responded to emergencies within 10 to 15 minutes because it had more personnel and vehicles. He also cited response times of six to 10 minutes in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, asking West Bengal police officials why the state could not achieve a similar performance.
Adhikari said the government planned to provide four motorcycles and four cars to every police station in West Bengal within a year. The state cabinet has also approved the recruitment of 1,500 drivers to operate the vehicles, according to the chief minister.
The announcement places vehicle availability and staffing at the centre of the state’s emergency-response expansion. The launch does not establish how response times will be measured across districts or how the new vehicles will be distributed between urban, semi-urban and rural police stations. Those operational details were not provided in the supplied report.
Adhikari also raised concerns about the physical condition of several police stations. Recalling visits to the Watgunge and Ekbalpore police stations in Kolkata, he said some buildings appeared to be nearly a century old and lacked adequate closed-circuit television systems and fire extinguishers. He said the condition of these facilities would have to change.
The chief minister called for stronger coordination between the police, civil defence and disaster management authorities in handling emergencies. The emphasis on coordination is part of the broader ERSS-112 rollout, which is intended to link emergency response capacity with police mobility and supporting agencies.
The programme also included announcements on recruitment and policing priorities. Adhikari said more than 11,000 constables would be appointed before Durga Puja and maintained that the government’s recruitment process was transparent, contrasting it with the previous regime. He reiterated a zero-tolerance position on drug abuse and attacks on women.
Adhikari praised senior officers, including Director General of Police Siddhinath Gupta and Indian Police Service officer Javed Shamim, for ensuring that recent bypolls to two Assembly seats passed without bloodshed. He also reaffirmed his government’s commitment to securing justice for the family of the doctor raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The next stated milestones are the deployment of four cars and four motorcycles at every police station within a year, the recruitment of 1,500 drivers and the appointment of more than 11,000 constables before Durga Puja.
