Pic: FOR THE PEOPLE: Gadag district minister HK Patil inaugurates the electronic emergency grievance button in Gadag recentlyGadag: Police in Gadag have launched an innovative initiative called ‘Prabhuvinedege Prabhutva’ (administration towards citizens), offering residents a unique way to raise grievances. Ten locations in the city have been equipped with a button-operated system that connects to the police control room, enabling citizens to report issues. Authorities claim that it’s the first of its kind initiative in the country as it not only addresses police-related concerns but also extends to multiple other services. Gadag superintendent of police Rohan Jagadeesh told TOI that the system allows residents to raise their grievances through a simple button press. “This system is inspired by Bengaluru city’s safety island system. However, this system extends to services across various departments, including women and children’s safety, support for senior citizens, emergency medical care, road safety, reporting illegal activities, anti-social elements, suspicious persons and things, land rights, khata and measurement, pension-related issues, gram panchayat services and more. If the grievance concerns police, officers will respond within 10 minutes. If grievances are related to other departments, they will be addressed in due course,” he explained.Recalling the ancient ‘justice call’ mechanism, Jagadeesh said people used to draw the attention of their rulers by ringing a bell installed in the village or town. “In the same way, this is a two-way communication through an internet-based call. Gadag deputy commissioner CN Sreedhara and ZP CEO Bharat S are supporting the initiative wholeheartedly, and they have appointed district-level nodal officers from different departments for this initiative. We will hold meetings once a fortnight and review the progress of the system,” he said. He further said as soon as it was launched on a pilot basis, a child went missing in the crowd in Javala Galli, Gadag, on Aug 15. “Some residents, using the new grievance syatem, alerted abou the child’s whereabouts, and we immediately took action and handed the child over to its mother,” he stated.“Currently, police personnel are trained to operate this system. It will be expanded to more services of other departments in the coming days,” said the SP.District minister HK Patil said the system encourages residents to come forward to register grievances without any fear or hesitation. “As the grievance gets registered online, the complainant will get the status updates of their grievance. We are proud that Gadag district has rolled out this initiative, which is a first of its kind in the country,” he claimed.
