Women hostelers grapple with safety

Dysfunctional streetlights put Delhi varsity residents at risk

Students allege that streetlights on GC Narang Road, which connects Chattra Marg and Vishvidyalaya Marg and houses two women hostels, are dysfunctional, making it unsafe for women to use the road after dusk.

The University Hostel for Women (UHW) is located on Chattra Marg, right opposite Miranda House College.

“The whole stretch from our hostel till the Vishvidyalaya Marg is deserted and it’s dark after dusk. During the Common Wealth Games (a stadium built during CWG is also located on the same road) for at least one and a half years, a police control room (PCR) van used to be on duty on the road. But once the Games was over, the PCR van vanished,” said a PhD student and a teaching assistant from UHW.

Residents of the hostel also said a staff attendant, who was returned home from the hostel, was molested recently on the same stretch. “We and even hostelers at Miranda House have complained to the officials at the Maurice Nagar police station to increase the security in the area, but nothing has been done yet,” another UHW hosteller added.

While women are trying to tackle the issue of deserted roads and unsafe environment around the hostel, the new warden has made strict rules on  in-and-out timings for the safeguard of women.

“Instead of doing something about the absence of streetlights or any PCR van, the warden orders us to come back by 9 pm and 11 pm is the last deadline. If we come after 11pm, then we are not allowed to enter the hostel premises. In fact, she (warden) ordered to lock the hostel gate after 11 pm. It was only recently that we told her that there may be a girl in distress and since the security goes off to sleep, every minute counts in such situations.So now the gates are not locked,” said another student.

She added that the security guards at the gate are callous and sometimes allow any girl to enter the premises without a thorough identity check.