L-G Khanna announces steps for women’s safety

December 24, 2012 12:09 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 10:00 pm IST - New Delhi

Returning from a vacation in the United States, where he had gone to meet his daughter, following a talk with Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Delhi’s Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna held prolonged discussions with women and youth groups in the presence of senior police and Government officials on Monday and announced a series of new measures to ensure greater safety and security for women in the city.

Mr. Khanna said he had left Delhi before the unfortunate incident, decided to cut short his visit and returned on Sunday night.

The Lieutenant-Governor, who met women groups for nearly two-and-a-half hours in the afternoon and then youth representatives at 5 p.m. said he called the women groups as they were in touch with the ground reality and it was essential to know from them how the implementation of various orders issued in the past was taking place.

Mr. Khanna said Special Commissioner (Traffic) in Delhi Police Sudhir Yadav had done great job in the women’s cell and therefore he has been made the nodal contact officer to keep in touch with the women’s organisations. “It has been decided that at 4 p.m. on the last Friday of every month, he would convene a meeting with these women’s representatives to discuss the issues pertaining to their safety and law and order.”

He also added that any woman in distress due to any kind of violence can also reach out to Mr. Yadav on his mobile number at 9818099102 and he would remain available round the clock. Further, Mr. Khanna said the office can also be reached at his e-mail id splcptraffic@gmail.com

“At my own level,” Mr. Khanna said, “I would be holding a meeting with the women’s groups every three months. We want to ensure that systems are in place in the institutions, hospitals and elsewhere to ensure complete respect of the women. Gender sensitisation and equity would be given due importance.”

On the complaint of the women’s organisations that often they are not treated well at the police stations, Mr. Khanna said while instructions on immediate registration of complaints and proper treatment to women had been issued two months back by Police Commissioner, now a clear message is being sent that immediate action would be taken against those violating the guidelines.

“It would be mandatory for the duty officers in all the 161 police stations to immediately register every complaint. Their making the complainant strike a conciliatory note would not be tolerated. The duty office will have to register the complaint and investigate,” he said.

Mr. Khanna said, “There are over 80,000 police personnel in Delhi and any indecent behaviour against women would immediately invite disciplinary action. We will also be looking at improving their language and behaviour when it comes to dealing with women. For this Police Training Schools and in-service training would be used. The behaviour has to be very gentle.”

The Lieutenant-Governor said in the past too the Delhi Government has been very firm on issues of safety of women. “We started the anti-obscene call helpline 1091 on which about 20,000 calls have been received and people making such calls have been warned and proceeded against.”

When it came to the safety of girls working in business process outsourcing and other professions, he said clear instructions had been issued to the managers of these companies to drop them at their doorsteps. “They were told that they would be named in the FIR if any harm were to come to these employees due to their negligence.” Likewise, he said around 90 per cent staff in the police stations that cover the North and South Campus of Delhi University was now women to make it easier for women to lodge their complaints.

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