Alarm in buses to curb eve-teasing

In an effort to curb eve-teasing and sexual harassment of women in buses, alarms have been installed in five BMTC buses on a pilot basis.

DURGA (Dare to Understand behaviour, Respond appropriately and Guard ourselves Ably) alarm system is a citizen’s initiative by Priya Varadarajan, a B.SAFE member, to help women acquire the necessary life skills and tools to face challenging situations. Anyone can use the alarm to alert others about any kind of harassment in buses.

The alarm system consists of a series of switches placed on both side of the bus on the panel between the windows, at a convenient height so that a child can also reach it in case of distress. When a switch is pressed, it activates the alarm.

The alarm was inaugurated recently at the Yelahanka BMTC satellite bus stand. It is developed by the students of M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology. The buses with alarm are:

Route No 238U -  Ambedkar College to KBS; Route No TR12-  Srinagara Bus Stand to Basaveshwara Nagara Bus Stand; Route No 18 – 9th Block Jayanagara to KBS; Route No 401R – BEML 5th Stage to Yelahanka and Route No 27E – Shivajinagar to JP Nagar.