This is a Job for Super-App

Scenario #1

You stay back late for a colleague's birthday bash in Gurgaon, and by the time it wraps up, you decide you are too drunk to drive. None of the usual cab agencies seem to be answering your call, and the hotel management suggests hiring a local taxi to drive you home to Vasant Kunj. You stumble in, and fall asleep almost the moment you settle down on the car seat.

You wake up fifteen minutes later, and realise that the cab has been parked at a rundown garage near Faridabad. Attempts to communicate with the driver are met with a guttural 'Chup Raho!!'

You have just become the unfortunate victim of an abduction.

Scenario #2

When you left home in the morning, there was nothing but a faint smell of LPG in the air. You had simply shrugged your shoulders and hurried off to that important client-company meeting about thirty minutes away by car. So, could you be blamed for innocently turning on the tubelight that evening - only to see your four-burner gas stove go up in a fiery display of Fourth-of-July fireworks? Probably, but now's not the time to start blaming yourself. You need help, and fast!

There are a thousand kinds of emergencies, and you never know when you're going to end up in one of them. And it doesn't matter how many fire extinguishers or pepper spray cans you equip yourself with, they will always find a way to get around them. Keeping this very fact in mind, the police force of Gurgaon has joined hands with Smart24x7 - India's first managed security company - to bring out a smartphone application that would come to your rescue, no matter how bad the situation.

Launched by Gurgaon police commissioner Alok Mittal, the 'Smart24x7 Mobile Panic Button' is designed to assist women, children, young adults and senior citizens in fighting crime and calling for help during emergencies. According to experts with the security firm, it helps connect with reliable contacts and Gurgaon Police personnel when the subject needs help for himself or somebody around him.

Describing the smartphone emergency application, Gurgaon Police Commissioner Alok Mittal says, "This is a unique approach towards strengthening the existing protection. Considering the rise in crimes, anxiety, stress and violence in our day-to-day life, this initiative has been taken to simplify communication when the user is in distress and allow individuals to communicate with the Gurgaon Police as well as their relatives, employers or doctors in an easy and decisive manner during a crisis."

A unique emergency alert system, it triggers a panic alarm and sends the person's location status to the police as well as select friends and relatives at the press of a button. It also allows the user to send them multiple messages, images, videos, and soundbytes - automatically alerting them to the crisis situation.

CP Singh, Smart Group founder and chief mentor, says, "We believe that this technology will prove to be of great help in curbing issues such as assaults on women, ragging in colleges, medical emergencies, road accidents, personal security threats, and so on. The application has been designed for the Android platform - allowing you to store five contact numbers. During any crisis, this app sends an SMS notification to all the primary contact numbers concerned, besides the Network Operation Centre (NOC). All you need to do is press the panic button on your phone. Our application allows you to call for police, medical and fire support during any such emergency."