Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The government has begun preparations to establish an integrated emergency response support system to effectively respond to citizens in need of emergency services like police, ambulance, and fire engines, among others.
Currently, there is no integrated system for responding to distress calls. Separate numbers must be dialed to reach the police, ambulance, and fire brigade. For example, the police hotline is 100, while one needs to dial 102 and 101 for ambulance and fire brigade, respectively. After the launch of the integrated system, people will be able to report their problems to the central system using a single hotline number and the Central Information System will relay the received information to the relevant agencies.
A meeting of stakeholders was held in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, at the Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss the issue. The meeting decided to form a task force to prepare a concept paper and action plan for launching the integrated service within 15 days.
The 11-member task force, led by Bharat Mani Pandey, a joint secretary at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, includes representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police. Information and communication expert Bijay Gautam is also a member of the task force.
