Female guards at dark stretches to boost security

Marshals in DTC buses in the evening and posting of women security guards at “dark stretches” are some of the women-friendly steps the Delhi government announced on Friday, while enlisting free water and power bill subsidy announcement as its achievements in the first month in office.

The BJP, however, slammed the one-month performance of the Delhi government claiming Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has barely attended office in the past 30 days.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters that DTC buses will have marshals from 6 pm to 12 am for a more secure environment for women commuters.

The government has asked police to identify the “dark spots” which are crime-prone and give a list to it.

“We will set up a women’s security force consisting of Home Guards and Civil Defence personnel,” Sisodia told reporters here.

Before elections, the AAP promised to set up a women’s security force. It had also mentioned that it would deploy 5,000 marshals in buses to prevent crime against women.

Sisodia said the sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) would conduct checks in buses after the deployment of marshals and take feedback from women commuters.

Among the other achievements highlighted by the government were issuing show cause notices to 200 private schools for charging exorbitant fees and installation of CCTV cameras in schools.

Surprise checks were conducted to check pollution. Of the 66 checks, 18 were found to be not working properly. To check air pollution, owners of premises where waste was being burnt in the open were issued warnings.

Sisodia also described the subsidies announced on power to cut bills by 50 per cent for consumption up to 400 units for domestic consumers as an big achievement along with the announcement on free 20,000 litre water for all households.

Providing licences to 20,800 e-rickshaw drivers and distribution of 30,000 old-age pensions were also among  government’s achievements, he said.

Leader of BJP Legislature Party Vijender Gupta said that the Aam Aadmi Party government has failed to bring the Delhi Budget on time and Kejriwal has stayed away from the secretariat for a better part of the first month.

Slamming the delay in starting the anti-corruption helpline, the BJP leader sought the expulsion of Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar for his allegedly forged graduation degree.

Gupta said Faizabad’s Dr R M L Avadh University has in a letter to the Bar Council of Delhi said that the graduation degree on the basis of which Tomar took admission in an LLB course is bogus.