Pune Fire Dept Battles Technical Glitch As Emergency Calls Redirected to Neighboring Cities

During the scorching summer months, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Fire Department is grappling with a surge in fire-related emergencies, averaging over 30 distress calls daily, a stark increase from the usual 10 to 15 calls. These incidents predominantly occur in the afternoon and evening, keeping the department on its toes.

However, a critical snag has emerged in the emergency response system. Despite dialing the designated emergency number 101, distraught callers find their calls mistakenly redirected to fire stations in neighboring cities, causing significant inconvenience for both the callers and the responders. Just a fortnight ago, a resident from Kondhwa attempted to report a fire, only to find their call routed to Nagpur instead of Pune’s control room.

Speaking to Pune Pulse Ramesh Dangad, Assistant Divisional Officer, sheds light on the issue, attributing it to the mobile service providers. “It all depends on the mobile user’s service provider. It is incumbent upon them to ensure that emergency calls are directed to the appropriate local fire station.”

PMC fire department records reveal a troubling trend wherein they receive notifications of fire incidents within the city from various other fire departments across Maharashtra, including Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Nashik, and Kolhapur. This redirection glitch persists across almost all mobile service providers, posing a recurring challenge.

The PMC has promptly brought this matter to the attention of the concerned service providers, underscoring the urgency of rectifying this technical flaw to ensure swift and efficient response to fire emergencies, thereby safeguarding the residents of Pune.

In the event of 101 being inaccessible or engaged, citizens are urged to utilize the alternative helpline number: 02026451707.