Rs 2919 crore approved for safety projects in 8 cities

The government has approved Rs 2,919 crore for various projects to strengthen safety measures in eight cities in the country, the Lok Sabha was told on Friday.

The eight cities are Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Lucknow, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Virendra Kumar said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

In Delhi, Rs 663.67 crore will be spent on a project that aims at enhancing the safety of women in public places such as roads, parks, markets, schools, metro stations, etc.

The project leverages the latest technology such as video monitoring, facial recognition analytics, person tracking, automatic number plate recognition, dedicated women safety patrol vans equipped with dashboards for viewing live feeds, GPS tracking, onboard video feed sharing, etc. for women’s safety.

The project will cover about 3,700 locations in Delhi.

In Mumbai, Rs 252 crore will be spent on a project involving GIS mapping of criminal hotspots, video surveillance, training of investigating officers, prosecutors and judicial officers, community policing and quick response police teams.

The project will also strengthen the "Police Didi" programme wherein female police officers interact with women living in slums on the issue of sexual harassment and abuse. It is also proposed to spread awareness through media campaigns.

In Bengaluru, a total of Rs 667 crore would be spent for a proposal involving surveillance at public places, quick response police vehicles, placement of NGO volunteers at women’s helpdesk in police stations and critical care response units at leading hospitals, setting up of an integrated support centre for women and children in need, GIS-based crime mapping and analytics, women police outposts near schools, colleges, bus stands and creation of safety islands at vulnerable places.

In Chennai, the project includes the creation of safe-zone clusters at hot crime zones, surveillance technology, GIS-based crime mapping, security in public transport, better sanitation facilities for women, remote monitoring of city lighting, capacity building of police authorities as well as a helpdesk service for women.

A cybercrime and legal assistance compensation lab will also be set up under this project. An amount of Rs 425 crore would be spent, he said.

In Ahmedabad, Rs 253 crore would be spent for a project whose main components include 'One Stop Crisis Centres', surveillance at crime hotspots, radio frequency identification and quick response-based security systems, ‘She Teams’ of women for surveillance and support to women who may face violence.

The project also envisages redevelopment of the Sabarmati riverfront to make it more women-friendly.

For Kolkata, Rs 181.32 crore would be spent on a proposal that includes strengthening of nine women police stations, surveillance in public areas, computer-aided dispatch based emergency response system for dial-100 in cases of women, in-camera testimonies in all criminal courts.

The project will undertake sensitisation programmes especially for boys as well as mass behavioural and cultural change campaign on women's safety.

In Hyderabad, Rs 282.50 crore would be spent on a proposal that involves setting up of a centre for development and empowerment of women as well as a forensic cell and repeat offenders monitoring cell. It also envisages setting up of "SHE Toilets" for women as well as transit dorms for safe temporary accommodation.

In Lucknow, Rs 195 crore would be spent on a proposal that incorporates features such as cyber and forensics infrastructure for better investigation of crimes against women, manpower training in the police force. It envisages the creation of a comprehensive safe city ecosystem by also sensitising all the various stakeholders in the city such as hawkers, shopkeepers, waiters, public servants on issues of women.