Indian Express 06.01.2010
New traffic plan to make city’s problem stretches safer for women
Asaf Ali Road, among the most unsafe stretches for women in the Capital, according to the study Amit Mehra
In a bid to make public spaces in the city safer for women, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in its new traffic management scheme for the area surrounding the new MCD Civic Centre, will take into consideration key pointers for women’s safety. The proposed traffic management scheme drawn up by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has incorporated recommendations made by Jagori, a city-based NGO, after a survey was conducted by the latter on the Ajmeri Gate-Delhi Gate stretch to make it safer for women.
The survey is part of a larger study by Jagori, which has been commissioned to carry out an intensive survey of four cities around the world — Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Delhi in India, Rosario in Argentina, and Petrozavodsk in Russia. Through this study, under the Gender Inclusive Cities project sponsored by Women in Cities International and the UN Trust Fund, the NGO will make recommendations to the state governments to make the cities safer for women.
The project engages with different stakeholders, including the government, NGOs, citizen groups and the community to design and implement strategies that can bring about significant change in women’s safety and rights in the city,” project director Kalpana Viswanath told Newsline.
On the Ajmeri Gate-Delhi Gate stretch, which will be included in the proposed traffic management scheme around the upcoming MCD Civic Centre near the New Delhi Railway Station, the survey has thrown up some grim observations. “Three stretches were finalised for conducting the audits — Jawaharlal Nehru Marg through Zakir Hussian College to the New Delhi Metro station, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg through Delhi Gate to Zakir Hussian College crossing and Asaf Ali Marg to Delhi Gate. Opinions of passersby, shopkeepers and a hearing impaired women’s group, all frequent users of the place, were taken into account,” Viswanath said.
According to the survey, around 38 per cent women faced sexual harassment, while 36 per cent women complained of theft cases. Nearly 50 per cent women felt there was lack of visible police presence on the stretch, while 48 per cent women felt threatened by men dealing with or taking alcohol or drugs.
Sixty-one per cent women complained of these issues during the daytime; 48 per cent said they experienced such problems while using public transport.
“Women reported it to be one of the unsafe areas (in the city) especially after dark. They faced various forms of sexual harassment like catcalling, groping or lewd gestures. Open drug usage was another issue,” the survey pointed out.
Based on the findings, several recommendations were made to improve the stretch: better pavements and monitoring of drug usage on the roads. Traffic monitoring was also among the suggestions.
AGK Menon, Convenor, Delhi Chapter of INTACH, said, “The study threw light on important issues for making the city safer for women. The recommendations have been incorporated in the plan.”
Issues women commuters face
Sexual harassment: 38%
Theft cases: 36%
Threatened by drug/alcohol users/dealers: 48%
Harassment during daytime: 61%
Problems in public transport: 48%
(As per the survey)
