NEW DELHI: With the aim of making public transport safer for women, the Delhi government on Friday announced the formation of a task force on the safety of women commuters.
The 16-member team will “conduct both off- and on-ground review and monitoring of all existing schemes for women’s safety in Delhi, and propose new plans for strengthening women’s safety in the capital,” said Jasmine Shah, vice chairperson of Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission.
The task force, approved by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, will evaluate and monitor government initiatives related to women’s safety, including the proposed installation of CCTV cameras and panic buttons, and deployment of marshals in public buses.
Stakeholders in public transport in the national capital and experts from the civil society working in the field of women’s safety and public transport in Delhi will be part of the committee.
“It will also include two daily female commuters nominated by the transport minister,” Shah said, adding, “Gender sensitisation of drivers and conductors will also be undertaken by the task force.” The move comes after the AAP government announced free travel for women in buses and metro trains.
The step was taken with an eye on polls?
The government wants to ensure that the proposal for free travel for women in public buses and metro trains is implemented before Assembly polls in Delhi early next year, but opposition to the scheme is mounting. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, in a report to the city government, has sought eight months’ time to implement the scheme in metro trains.