A 24-hour helpline to provide immediate medical assistance to senior citizens will be set up in the city next month. The project is a collaboration of The Bengal, a year-old organisation of prominent Calcuttans from various fields, and the city police.

“The helpline will be up and running by June. We have allotted space at Ballygunge police station to set up a centralised office. We have started compiling area-wise lists of ambulances, doctors and other medical services,” police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakrabarti said after the executive committee meeting of The Bengal at a city hotel on Saturday evening.

When a senior citizen calls the helpline — the number will be released shortly — the local police station will be immediately alerted. A doctor, ambulance, oxygen and other medical necessities will be sent to the caller’s home at the earliest.

Promoting the cause for The Bengal are actors Roopa Ganguly, Arindam Sil and Anandi Ghosh, designer Agnimitra Paul, dancer Dona Ganguly, author Nabaneeta Dev Sen, theatre director Dolly Basu, former footballer Chuni Goswami, singer Usha Uthup, social activist Sundeep Bhutoria and others.

“There is an urgent need for such a move because more and more senior citizens are staying alone nowadays. Either their children have settled abroad or have opted for nuclear homes. They feel helpless and are often at the mercy of their help. This has compelled us to think of something like this that will provide them immediate help,” said Roopa Ganguly, who flew down from Mumbai for the two-hour meeting.

Student-volunteers will be involved with the project. St Xavier’s and St Joseph’s College have offered help.

“We are getting in touch with hospitals to ensure senior citizens are treated in time. Since the para culture is strong in Bengal, we hope to involve residents of each para as volunteers,” said Hari Mohan Bangur, the chairman of The Bengal.