The new kiosk at Mani Square Mall in Kolkata on Friday. Subham Dutta
The Kolkata Police has initiated a project allowing people to lodge a general diary through digital kiosks that will be placed across Kolkata, and have launched two such systems so far.
According to official sources, a list of 25 items have been included in the system, which has been named E-GD. In case one of these items are lost, people will be able to lodge a general diary simply by uploading some information through the E-GDs. On Friday, one such kiosk was launched at Mani Square Mall under Phoolbagan police station area on EM Bypass.
Another such kiosk was recently installed in Quest Mall under Park Circus area, and has received positive feedback. Kolkata Police had issued a gazette notification on May 22 in connection with the project. However, they have not mentioned the number of kiosks to be installed or the number of phases in the project.
“We have named it E-GD. If someone loses a debit card, mobile phone, credit card, any ID card or an important document, they don’t need to come to a police station. They can just register an e-general diary through these kiosks. These kiosks are directly linked to the local police station.. The complainant would also get a print out of the e-complaint, which can help them in reissuing what they lost”, an official told The Indian Express.
However, some police officers believe it will take a few months for people to consider the E-GD system seriously. The kiosk, which will be connected to the local police station, will also store the data. If the lost item is found, the complainant will be contacted, and after verification of their identity, the same would be returned to them.
This initiative, officers said, will not only save time, but will help police allocate manpower more efficiently. Instructions on how to use the kiosk will be displayed in two languages — Bengali and English.
