Unmanned Women Help desk at Sikanderpur station

Government’s commitment towards ensuring the safety of women in the National Capital Region is far from reassuring. In the last one month, numerous cases of sexual assaults have been reported and the government seems to be far from concerned. Recently, Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk was at Sikanderpur Metro station in Gurgaon, where he found that the women’s help desk inside the station had no personnel.

According to a report by Times of India, he said, "I was not aware that these helpdesks were unmanned. The Gurgaon Police is supposed to man them. I will look into this. The safety of passengers inside and outside the Metro stations is an area of concern and we are coordinating with the MCG and HUDA to ensure that necessary infrastructure is brought in place."

The Commissioner became aware of this negligence as when he came to inaugurate Rapid Metro's security awareness week at Sikanderpur station. According to the report, when a recent survey was conducted by an NGO, it was found that women in Gurgaon feel safe inside the metro station, but become worried about their safety right when they step outside.

According to the same report, regular in Delhi Metro and Rapid Metro travellers also said that they have never seen a cop at the women helpdesks. Furious after learning this, Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk also said, "What is the point of having just some fancy furniture and a signboard when the people who are supposed to help in trouble are missing? I've never seen a cop, leave alone a lady cop, man these desks in any metro station in the city. "

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ORIGINAL SOURCE: Times of India