Smart spending on safety measures is need of hour
Being born and brought up in Delhi, I have seen Delhi evolve as a true cosmopolitan city and a melting pot where multiple Indian cultures co-exist, an ideal place to enjoy all kinds of seasons, cuisines, national monuments, businesses, industries, fashion and loads of adventure.
After the city transformed into Delhi-NCR post 2000, it became bigger and better as an urban amalgamation. Having said all the good things, like any other city Delhi also has a flip side. Women safety and dismal infrastructure causing traffic jams are still issues of concern.
Though a lot has been talked about women safety in the past few years, especially after the Nirbhaya incident, the crackdown and measures taken have not led to any decline in the number of molestation cases and other women-related crimes. Perpetrators have no fear of law.
Police needs to increase night patrolling and take steps to make girls more aware of their own security. Measures should also be taken to inculcate civic knowledge among Delhiites.
Apart from this, the city roads show their true colours during rainy seasons. It becomes nearly impossible to drive on potholed and waterlogged roads. In fact, Delhi has the highest accident rate in India.
There are some immediate steps that need to be taken, and if they are acted upon soon, the city will become a better place to live in.
These include creating awareness on traffic rules and strict enforcement of laws. Delhi needs to address the issues of safety immediately, specially for women.
Convenience of people travelling in public transport should also be given preference, so that people make more use of it. There should be a proper space for pedestrians to walk on, so that we get rid of traffic impediments. Also, demarcating separate roads or lanes for different vehicles, and their entry and exists will help in controlling traffic.
Keshav Bansal
Owner of Gujarat Lions, and Director at Intex Technologies (India) Ltd.