In mid July, Cyberabad police invited women employees to take a couple of hours from their work and assist the police in patrolling. The move was intended as a confidence-building measure, aimed at helping women get a first-hand experience of the work of police in the area.
On September 26; 4 p.m.; a few women from FactSet and other companies from DLF, Gachibowli, will take part in a two-hour patrol of the five zones of IT corridor, guided by Cyberabad police.
Pavani Maddali, assistant manager operations at FactSet, is among those who will partake in this exercise. The excitement is evident when she speaks of her takeaway from the event. “I’d like to know how the police outposts are being utilised, the distribution of manpower and how they patrol different pockets in Cyberabad,” she says.
At a personal level, she is keen to know how women can communicate with cops when in need of help. “Women think several times before lodging a complaint; I am curious to see if involving us in this exercise will change that mindset,” she adds.
Ask Pavani how secure she feels while using public transport in the area and she says she never felt inhibited while taking a share auto near Hi-Tech City but would think twice before doing so in Gachibowli. “The path from University of Hyderabad to Serilingampally and the vicinity of Kondapur botanical gardens are isolated and not well lit,” she points out.
Her colleague Surabhi Bharadwaj, senior trainer, is curious to know how the police keeps tabs on security measures in this part of the town where women work in different shifts through the day and night. “I hope this exercise will help remove the stigma women have towards approaching the police. A woman has to feel safe stepping out of Raheja Mindspace or DLF even at 2a.m. if she is finishing a work shift,” she says.
Most companies in Madhapur and Gachibowli have cab services that pick and up drop employees from home. Yet, there are occasions where women need to use public transport. Apart from a helpline (9494731100), cops urge women to use safety apps to alert friends and family. Surabhi has a few questions: “Can I walk up to a cop at any of the outposts and expect help? What will be the response time if I call and make a complaint? What techniques can we employ to ward off untoward instances before help reaches us?”
Pavani, Surabhi and other women hope to find a few answers during this patrolling exercise.
Cop speak : J. Ramesh Kumar, inspector, IT corridor says, “This initiative is on behalf of the newly-formed Women’s Security Council. We hope this will enable us to understand the problems faced by women employees better and for them to know how patrolling works. Those who interact with us can go back and share details of security measures and tips to their colleagues.” For this patrolling, women employees will be accompanied by a constable and a woman S.I in two vehicles. “If other companies are open to taking part, we are open to having them on board for such events,” he adds.
Helpline : Women can call the helpline number 9494731100 in addition to the general complaint numbers 100 or 9490617100. The IT corridor has been divided into five zones to ensure quick response time, within 10 to 15 minutes.
