UP-112 HQ closed for 48 hours as 6 outsourced staffers test +ve
LUCKNOW : Services of the state police integrated emergency response centre (UP 112), will remain affected for 48 hours, after five more employees of the outsourced technical support agency tested Covid-19 positive on Saturday. In this period, the building housing the UP112 headquarters will be closed for sanitisation. The first employee tested positive on Thursday. The other five tested positive on Saturday, taking the tally of the Covid-19-positive to six.
LUCKNOW: Services of the state police integrated emergency response centre (UP 112), will remain affected for 48 hours, as the building housing its headquarters will be closed for sanitisation after five more employees of the outsourced technical support agency tested Covid-19 positive on Saturday.
The first employee tested positive on Thursday and was showing symptoms. The other five tested positive on Saturday, taking the tally of the Covid-19-positive to six in the technical section of the outsourced agency, which provides technical support to UP112 services. Contact-tracing of these employees is on even though those who tested positive on Saturday are asymptomatic.
UP112 additional director general said that services will remain affected as the headquarters will be closed for 48 hours for sanitisation and fumigation after the afternoon shift gets over at around 4pm on Saturday. He said the UP112’s Prayagraj centre and 140 call operators working from home will continue to take calls and provide assistance to police during this period. But people could face inconvenience as limited call operators will be attending the calls, he added.
However, he stated that people can approach UP112 through its social media accounts, WhatsApp and SMS numbers or dial 1073 to reach out to district police control rooms directly to get immediate help. The ADG said that the pressure is more as UP112’s Ghaziabad call centre is also closed for the past few days as an outsourced employee tested positive and the centre is likely to get functional from Monday. UP112 receives over 75,000 calls per day. Of these, 21,000 calls are such where police response vehicles have to be sent.
WORK-FROM-HOME CALL OPERATORS TO BE INCREASED
The state government is considering increasing the strength of work-from-home employees after the closure of UP112 headquarters building and Ghaizabad call centre also closed. Officials said that work from home will minimise employee exposure to the coronavirus infection. A senior government official said that a proposal to purchase 200 more laptops is pending with the finance section. He said a total 140 call operators are currently working from home and this strength will be increased to 340 call operators as soon as the proposal is cleared.
He said the officials were initially reluctant to allow working from home but recent incidents have made it clear to everybody the importance of work-fromhome call operators. “We can face a crisis situation like this any time if we have a strength of 340 call operators working from home,” he emphasised.