JOIN USThe Centre on Wednesday imposed a string of regulations on private buses to regain the confidence of a nation startled by the rape of a 23-year-old woman here.
“All buses must be parked with their owners and not drivers. They will be impounded immediately on violation. Photo identity card of drivers, along with their mobile number and licence number, besides the helpline number, should be displayed on the bus in bold. The Delhi Police have been asked to allocate more vehicles for patrolling,” Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde informed Parliament.
Besides cracking down on buses with tinted glass and heavy curtains, Shinde said all lights in the coaches have to be switched on while plying at night in Delhi. The measures were announced after members of both Houses insisted that the government should announce steps to prevent such crimes.A special investigation team led by the deputy commissioner of police has been constituted. They were working on arresting all culprits, Shinde added.
He said a woman IPS officer will head a police team tasked with supervising the victim’s condition and keep in touch with her parents. The police have also been asked to gather details about private bus drivers hired by schools.
In the Rajya Sabha, Venkaiah Naidu of the BJP wanted the government to respond to the Opposition’s demand of capital punishment for perpetrators of such crimes. He also questioned why policemen were not manning the three PCR points which the bus crossed. In reply, Shinde said the incident could not have possibly come to the notice of the PCR police since “no voice was heard from the bus,” whose window panes were tinted and had curtains. On demands of enhanced punishment for the rape accused, Shinde said the Criminal Law Amendment Bill, which seeks to enhance punishment for such crimes up to life imprisonment, has already been introduced in the Lok Sabha.
UP CM promises job to victims
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the government was ready to bear the cost of treatment of the Delhi rape victim and also promised job to her and her male friend, reports DHNS from Lucknow. In a statement, Akhilesh said: “It is a shameful incident,” he said.
All the medical expenditure incurred on the treatment of the victim and her male friend would be borne by the state government.
“We will also give them jobs,” he added.
The victim was reportedly a resident of UP’s Ballia district.