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Regular-article-logo Wednesday, 24 April 2024

Delhi govt deploys cameras, marshals for women's safety

Nearly 1.3 lakh CCTV cameras have been installed across the city, out of a planned total of 3 lakh

PTI New Delhi Published 15.12.19, 11:53 AM
Activists try to cross barricades during a protest in solidarity with rape victims and to highlight the issue of violence against women in the country, at ITO in New Delhi, Thursday, December 12, 2019.

Activists try to cross barricades during a protest in solidarity with rape victims and to highlight the issue of violence against women in the country, at ITO in New Delhi, Thursday, December 12, 2019. PTI

The Delhi government has taken a slew of measures for women safety, including the installation of CCTV cameras and deployment of marshals in buses, after the 'Nirbhaya' gang rape case that made global headlines exactly seven years ago.

Nearly 1.3 lakh CCTV cameras have so far been installed across Delhi, and 1.7 lakh more are in process under a Delhi government project aimed at ensuring the safety of women.

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A senior government official said a total of three lakh CCTV cameras will be installed in all 70 assembly constituencies under the ambitious project being executed by the public works department.

The government has recently procured 428 new cluster buses which are equipped with panic buttons, CCTV cameras and Global Positioning System (GPS) devices.

A 23-year-old paramedical student, who came to be known as 'Nirbhaya', and her friend had boarded a private bus in Munirka on the fateful night of December 16, 2012. She was gang-raped on the bus, and she and her friend were left in the cold on the street, bleeding. The woman later died from the injuries in a hospital in Singapore, where she had been transferred for treatment.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently announced that the government would install three CCTV cameras, 10 panic buttons and GPS device in each of the existing 5,500 DTC and cluster buses, which he said were aimed at making women passengers feel safer in public transport.

According to the official, marshals are currently deployed every day in all DTC and cluster buses, a move also directed at ensuring women safety.

The government has also made it mandatory for all public vehicles, including buses, auto-rickshaws, taxis and cabs, install GPS device, which intends to track their location in case of crime cases.

As part of women safety measures, the government has decided to light up 'dark spots' which often cause crime in the national capital. 'A total of two lakh LED street lights will be installed to light up dark spots. The process has begun to execute the project,' official said.

Recently, the government announced that it would administer pledges to students of all schools and colleges to respect women.

Under the initiative, a one-hour classroom discussion on respecting women will be conducted.

According to the plan, girl students will also be asked to talk to their brothers on the issue of respecting women and warn them against any wrongdoing, and to tell their class about their conversation.

On the night of December 16, 2012, six men gang-raped 'Nirbhaya' in a moving bus in south Delhi, and severely assaulted her before throwing her out into the road. She died of the injuries on December 29, 2012, at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

The four convicts in the gang rape-and-murder case have been sentenced to death.

Ram Singh, one of convicts, allegedly killed himself in 2013, while a juvenile, who was among the six accused, was convicted by a juvenile justice board. He was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term.

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