NEW DELHI: Very soon every colony in Delhi will have Mohalla marshals who will keep a round-the-clock vigil for the safety of residents. Women and Child Development minister Rajendra Pal Gautam announced this on Friday after holding a meeting with the chief of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal.
“I have asked the department to come up with the plan on this promise soon, we will deploy around four marshals in each colony. This will be extra protection cover provided apart from the CCTV cameras being installed. Safety of women is one of the key promises among the 10 guarantees of the AAP government” said Gautam.
DCW in 2019 had conducted this programme on a pilot basis in Burari, after which the response from residents especially women was positive.
“During our pilot project in Burari, civil defence officers conducted regular checks in locations which were the most vulnerable from where we received the maximum complaints. The results were outstanding and should be implemented across Delhi,” said Maliwal.
Gautam, who also heads the state social welfare ministry, asked DCW to set up a special SC/ST women welfare cell in the commission that will work for women and girls from the community.
“Seeing the atrocities on women from the SC/ST community, we welcome the idea by WCD minister and will add a special cell which to offer protection to SC/ST women,” she said.
There are around 6,000 Mohallas in Delhi, as per the directions of the minister, the guards will be deployed in three shifts, with the maximum number of guards at night from 10 pm to 4 am.
Securing the capital