Banking on the success of the national helpline started on an experimental basis last October, the government is now planning to launch a full version from June this year, sources in the government’s Information and Communication Technology Division (ICT) Division said. Initially, the helpline-999 was launched on October 19 last year to give people a one-stop service in times of need. The helpline received around nine lakh calls within the first 100 days of its launch.
While the bulk of the calls were to inquire about the features of the service, some 19,000 were to seek ambulance, fire service, and police help. This correspondent made several calls to 999 and got the services sought. After dialling 999, one needs to press ‘1’ for ambulance, ‘2’ for fire service, and ‘3’ for police help. To get assistance from a live operator, one needs to press ‘4’ Mohammad Monirul Islam, deputy secretary with the ICT ministry and the programme director of the national helpline programme, told The Independent that the project has achieved considerable success.
“The programme started with a budget of Tk. 6 crore. A private company, Multimedia Content and Communication Ltd (MCC), was given the task of providing the helpline service,” he said.
After multiple changes in short codes, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) finally gave them '999' as the national helpdesk number. It is toll-free.
Earlier, the telecom regulator had allotted 2041 and 16666 short codes for the help desk, but were changed to a three-digit one at the request of ICT state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak.
Monirul Islam said the National Helpline had been opened on an experimental basis for two months to run till the end of December. “We launched it on a trial basis. We wanted to proceed further by gauging the initial response. As we still have the budgeted funds to run the programme and in view of its considerable success, we plan to continue it till June.”
After June, the full-fledged national helpline will be officially launched. “It will be launched as a part of the government’s larger project on ‘Establishing Digital Connectivity’. The project proposal has already been placed before the
ECNEC. The helpline will be operated under the direct supervision of the ICT Division.”
Mahadi Hossain Shumon, head of innovation and planning of MCC, said 100 people man the helpline in two shifts. The service is currently available from 7am to 10 pm. After June, it will be available for 24/7 with added services, he said. Zunaid Ahmed Palak told The Independent that various services were now available under a single number. “The British had started the short code in 1937, the US in 1968 and now we have started this in 2016,” he said.
Palak said in addition to 999, the national helpdesk service can also be accessed through its website, or through social media including Facebook, Viber and Whatsapp to get the services sought within 24 hours. He said with the full-fledged launch of the national helpline, all existing helpline services would be terminated and merged with it. At present, dialling 100 connects one to the Bangladesh police, 101 to the Rapid Action Battalion, 102 to the fire service, 103 to ambulance service, and 104 to the Information Programme under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).