HYDERABAD: Women unable to find a ride back home at night can now call the police to get a free lift. The Ludhiana police announced this service a few days ago, and the Telangana cops have now decided to introduce it here as well.
The implementation of this facility, to ensure women’s security, is being worked out by officials of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda police commissionerates. Working women, they said, can sometimes find it tough to get home at night. Madhapur, Gachibowli, the IT zone in Cyberabad, and many call centres have a large number of women who work at night.
“Hundreds of women in different fields, including information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITES), work late as their employers maintain a shift system. Companies provide a pick-up and drop facility for women, but we have noticed some lapses,” police officials said.
The Hyderabad police have started deploying women for patrolling and handling women-related issues. These teams, called ‘Women on Wheels’ (WoW), patrol the city on bikes. As a pilot project, the Women on Wheels will pick up and drop women based on calls to Dial 100. This will be done in coordination with SHE Teams.
The services of police volunteers are likely to be used for this project in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda, and discussions on the budget are understood to have been held. In villages, the panchayat secretary is responsible for working with the local police to ensure the safety of women in distress. The recent gang-rape and murder of the veterinary doctor has pushed the police to initiate the measure.
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