It may be the consensus that too many big cities in India don’t offer a woman roaming the streets the basic feeling of security. And every time we hear of a violent crime against women, we blame the laid back attitude of our government and justice system. Well, one of India’s biggest metro cities, Bengaluru, has stood up to change that.
Yesterday, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah launched 51 brand new ‘Pink Hoysala’ patrolling vehicles in the city of Bengaluru whose primary purpose will be to provide quick response in instances of a threat to women’s and children’s safety.
According to The Hindu, each of these 51 special patrol cars is equipped with internet and GPS enabled tablets and will have at least one female police officer in them. The vehicles have been introduced along with the launch of a women and children’s safety mobile app, Suraksha. All SOS calls from this app will be directly relayed to the nearest Pink Hoysala vehicle to ensure urgent action.
The patrol cars have been assigned sensitive areas frequented by women and children, as well as instructed to change location every hour.
“Stationing Pink hoysalas at such locations will also provide moral support to the women.”
At the launch, Siddaramaiah emphasised that the provision of these vehicles is only the first step in making women feel safer. The police forces have to work hard to make the most of the resources provided to them to make the people of the city feel safer.
It has been estimated that close to 6,000 women and children have already downloaded the Suraksha app. And even though we all hope that they won’t be using it too often, it’s pretty reassuring to know it’s there. Way to go, Bengaluru!