Ahmedabad, Nov 9 (IANS) Gujarat witnessed a sharp surge in fire-related emergencies, public disputes and assault cases during the Diwali festivities, with the state’s 112 emergency response service receiving 5,651 calls, marking a 56.54 per cent increase compared to the average 3,610 calls recorded on normal days.
Fire-related incidents witnessed the steepest increase, rising from 55 on normal days to 366 during Diwali, an increase of 565.45 per cent.
District-wise figures showed that Surat City reported the highest number of fire-related incidents at 82, followed by Ahmedabad City with 56, Rajkot City with 44 and Surat Rural with 37.
Vadodara City reported 22 such incidents, followed by Jamnagar with 14, Gandhinagar and Kachchh East with 12 each, and Ahmedabad Rural with 11. Bhavnagar reported eight incidents and Dahod with seven.
Kachchh West, Patan, Surendranagar and Valsad reported six incidents each, while Bharuch and Mahisagar recorded five each. Anand and Mehsana reported four each, followed by Morbi with three.
Chhotaudepur, Devbhumi Dwarka, Gir Somnath and Porbandar reported two incidents each. Amreli, Banaskantha, Junagadh, Navsari, Panchmahal, Sabarkantha, Vadodara Rural and Vav-Tharad reported one fire-related incident each.
Public disputes and quarrels also increased substantially, with calls rising from 967 on normal days to 1,651 during Diwali, a jump of 62.67 per cent. Assault cases increased from 617 to 1,104, registering a 78.93 per cent rise.
Noise pollution complaints more than doubled, increasing from 119 to 363, a rise of 205.04 per cent.
Physical assaults on women and children rose from 189 to 252, while threats to life increased from 119 to 194, registering increases of 33.33 per cent and 63.03 per cent, respectively.
Theft cases involving property, vehicles and animals increased from 140 to 184, while complaints of abuse rose from 92 to 145.
Calls relating to women in distress increased from 88 to 109, and domestic violence complaints went up from 57 to 101. Road accident-related calls, however, declined from 373 on normal days to 276 during Diwali, a fall of 26.01 per cent.
Calls categorised under other emergencies increased from 796 to 906, a rise of 13.82 per cent.
The figures indicate that the 112 service received 2,041 more emergency calls during Diwali than on normal days, with fire incidents, public disputes and assault accounting for significant increases.
–IANS
mys/skp
