Deepavali emergencies: dial 112, Telangana Police say

Telangana Police have asked people to dial 112 if they face any emergency during Deepavali, The Hindu reported on 7 November.

112 is India’s single emergency number. It connects callers to the police, the fire service and ambulances, so there is no need to remember 100, 101 and 108 separately, and calls are answered round the clock. Telangana’s fire control room can also be reached on 101.

Fire officials repeat the same advice every year:

• Burst crackers only in open spaces, away from vehicles, dry leaves and anything that can catch fire.
• Keep a bucket of water or sand close by.
• Never relight a cracker that has failed to go off, and never hold one in your hand.
• Wear cotton clothes, not synthetics, and keep children under watch.
• If you are burnt, cool the burn under running water and get medical help. Do not apply ink, toothpaste or ice.

Eye hospitals in Hyderabad treat cracker injuries every Deepavali night, many of them children and bystanders. Anyone with an eye injury should go to hospital at once and should not rub the eye.