Women's safety not on govt’s priority list

The budget failed to bring cheer to women in the city who were looking forward to announcement of measures aimed at bolstering their safety in the aftermath of the December 16 gang rape.

The budget failed to bring cheer to women in the city who were looking forward to announcement of measures aimed at bolstering their safety in the aftermath of the December 16 gang rape.

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No definite plans to step up security were announced on Wednesday despite the government’s pre-budget decisions to deploy home guards on buses and install tracking devices in public vehicles and plant closed-circuit television cameras.

The only announcements made with women in mind by the Sheila Dikshit government were the introduction of 1,000 auto-rickshaws to be driven by women and relaxation of value-added taxes on chilly sprays used for self-defence.

Kavita Krishnan, the secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), who has been actively involved in demanding safety for women, said that improving public transport in Delhi should have been priority for the government and it could have rolled out more buses on the streets.

"They have announced a fleet of 11,000 on the roads but the city needs many more," she said.

City residents picked holes in the government’s proposal to introduce auto-rickshaws to be driven only by women, saying it could not be a solution to harassment.

“What if the auto-rickshaw driver is herself harassed?” said Rita Chakraborty, a student of Delhi University. The government will bring in 8,000 new auto-rickshaws, of which 1,000 will be driven by women.

Sudha Sundararaman, a member of All India Democratic Women’s Association said Dikshit should have backed her earlier announcements with financial emoluments.