Poor management defeats purpose of new helplines

Sangamesh Menasinakai | TNN | Updated: Apr 26, 2020, 12:34 IST

HUBBALLI: As part of the measures adopted by the government to combat the swiftly spreading Covid-19 infection, multiple helplines were set up to ensure people could reach out to the authorities concerned with as little trouble as possible. However, the people are complaining that many of the numbers are either invalid or perpetually unreachable. Many people have even claimed that the number for ambulance – 108 – is going unanswered on several occasions.
Vikas Soppin, a Hubballi-based entrepreneur, said that when he rang 108 to summon an ambulance to help carry his neighbour, who had suffered a cardiac arrest, the call went unanswered. “We called multiple times, but no one answered even though we could hear the receiver’s phone ringing. There was no response when we dialled the Arogyavani number, 104, as well. Finally, we took my neighbour by car,” said Soppin, voicing suspicion of the government trying to discourage use of previously existing helplines in the times of Covid-19.
Activist Santosh Nargund experienced a similar problem, but on the helpline set up by the Karnataka government under the National Health Mission to ensure supply of sufficient food to the needy. “Many daily-wage labourers are struggling to get food in Hubballi and so I called 155214 so that they could be nourished, but even though I rang the number four or five times, I received an electronic message informing me it was invalid,” Nargund said.
The activist also rued the lack of clarity about the modalities of the helpline, such as whether they operated round-the-clock or if they had a pre-fixed timetable. “The staff manning the district helpline, 1077, are not in possession of adequate information. When I called the helpline to get some information about acquiring a pass to carry out my activities, I was asked to contact the tahsildar, who, in turn, did not know about the procedure either. It was much later that I realised that there was no specific pass for social service,” Nargund added.
Mayur Patil, employee at a private firm in Dharwad district, said that he had dialled 1077, expressing interest to volunteer and assist the district administration. “Those who answered my phone collected my name, address and number and I was assured that I would be intimated soon. But two days hence, I am yet to receive a response,” Patil added.
Santosh Patil, a businessman, narrated the frustrating experience he had had when he dialled another helpline through which one could enlist as a volunteer. “The person who answered the phone collected all the personal details, and put me on hold for 12 minutes asking me to wait so I could be connected to a higher official. When he finally reverted, he informed me that he was unable to route me to the official and asked me to log on to Karnataka.Gov.In for any information I needed. This means that the line remained busy for 12 minutes and I had no information at the end of it,” he rued.
Soppin said that such inefficiency in managing the operations of helplines defeated the purpose of setting up as many new ones. “The government could well have used the existing emergency numbers in this fight against the novel coronavirus. This indicates lack of coordination between the ministers and the officials,” Soppin added.