NEW DELHI: Delhi L-G Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Wednesday chaired a meeting with principals of women’s colleges of the University of Delhi (DU) along with Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh and other senior officials to review the safety of students in and around college campuses.
Special commissioner of police (CP), joint commissioners of police, deputy CPs, the secretary-cum-commissioner (Transport), additional commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and Public Works Department engineer-in-chief were among those present in the meet.
When L-G Sandhu asked the principals, deans and the Vice-Chancellor to list their issues, they raised a range of pressing safety concerns. The most common concerns outlined by the authorities pertained to the menace of e-rickshaws, autos and taxies that forcibly solicited passengers apart from blocking entrances of colleges.
The also flagged the lack of safe last-mile connectivity, encroachment on footpaths & pathways, unregulated vending, dark spots and a lack of sufficient illumination. The presence of unsafe parks near campuses, public toilets near campuses, incidents of flashing also surfaced during the meet. The college authorities also stressed the need for Pink Booths and patrolling.
Sandhu issued a direction for enhanced patrolling, PCR deployment and picket checking around colleges, metro stations and isolated stretches, particularly during morning and evening hours, along with the installation of Pink Booths staffed by trained personnel. He also ordered the deployment of additional police personnel near college premises and areas with high footfall of women and students.
He also ordered the nomination of a dedicated nodal police officer for each college for regular coordination and prompt action on complaints relating to eve-teasing, flashing and other safety concerns, backed by plainclothes surveillance and an emergency response mechanism. He further directed that a safety audit of areas
around educational institutions be conducted and that stationary buses parked near colleges, which create obstructed and isolated stretches, be removed.