Emergency Call Boxes: Few takers for emergency call boxes on highway | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: The emergency call boxes (ECB) installed on National Highway (NH) 16 to aid commuters in emergency situations like road accidents remained underused and ignored often due to lack of awareness about the service.
These ECBs or the SOS boxes, which are installed on the highway stretch between Baramunda and Chandikhole, are strategically placed at every 2km distance.Mounted on a pole, the ECBs resemble old telephone booths.
The boxes are GPS-enabled, have an emergency call button and work on a voice communication system. People in an emergency can reach out to the box and press the button, which will connect to the nearest toll plaza. The toll plaza staff will coordinate the necessary help. However, commutes said in a society now driven by technology and smartphones and investing in such boxes is a waste of resources. “People can use their smartphones to call for help than to reach out to such boxes,” said Vivan Hota, a commuter.
Omkar Pradhan, another commuter, said he has seen the boxes on the highway but had no idea what it does. “Such a service may come in use where there is no network coverage, but in a place like Bhubaneswar, it is useless,” said Pradhan, a corporate employee. The boxes were installed by Shree Jagannath Expressways Pvt. Ltd, the special purpose vehicle of Maple Highways, which is maintaining the highway stretch between Baramunda and Chandikhole. It has installed 34 such boxes on this particular highway stretch.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), too, admitted that the boxes are obsolete, but those had to be installed since it was in the agreement with the agency. Signages have been placed at intervals of the national highway mentioning the highway helpline number — 1033. “Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone. People in emergency will use their cell phones to call for help,” NHAI, project director (Bhubaneswar) K Nageswara Rao said.
These ECBs or the SOS boxes, which are installed on the highway stretch between Baramunda and Chandikhole, are strategically placed at every 2km distance.Mounted on a pole, the ECBs resemble old telephone booths.
The boxes are GPS-enabled, have an emergency call button and work on a voice communication system. People in an emergency can reach out to the box and press the button, which will connect to the nearest toll plaza. The toll plaza staff will coordinate the necessary help. However, commutes said in a society now driven by technology and smartphones and investing in such boxes is a waste of resources. “People can use their smartphones to call for help than to reach out to such boxes,” said Vivan Hota, a commuter.
Omkar Pradhan, another commuter, said he has seen the boxes on the highway but had no idea what it does. “Such a service may come in use where there is no network coverage, but in a place like Bhubaneswar, it is useless,” said Pradhan, a corporate employee. The boxes were installed by Shree Jagannath Expressways Pvt. Ltd, the special purpose vehicle of Maple Highways, which is maintaining the highway stretch between Baramunda and Chandikhole. It has installed 34 such boxes on this particular highway stretch.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), too, admitted that the boxes are obsolete, but those had to be installed since it was in the agreement with the agency. Signages have been placed at intervals of the national highway mentioning the highway helpline number — 1033. “Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone. People in emergency will use their cell phones to call for help,” NHAI, project director (Bhubaneswar) K Nageswara Rao said.
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