Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has agreed to set up Fast Track Courts to try cases of atrocities against women under the Nirbhaya Act, including the recent Abhaya case.
With the recent kidnap and gang-rape of an IT professional, “Abhaya”, near Gachibowli IT corridor sending shock waves and raising concerns over safety of women employees, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy asserted that the safety of women employees was his government’s top priority.
Panel on women’s safety
He directed Chief Secretary P.K. Mohanty to constitute a committee to suggest immediate measures to be taken for women’s safety in public places and also a long-term plan.
In a high-level meeting at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister reviewed the progress of Abhaya case and said all departments including police should step up safety measures in all the IT corridors, Outer Ring Road and surroundings of Cyberabad, Gachibowli etc., for security of women employees, particularly those working on night shifts.
The meeting was attended by Transport Minister Botcha Satyanarayana, IT Minister Ponnala Laxmaiah, Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Social Welfare Minister Pithani Satyanarayana, Secondary Education Minister K. Partha Sarathi, Chief Secretary P.K. Mohanty, DGP P. Prasada Rao, City Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma, Cyberabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand, HMDA and GHMC Commissioners, senior police officials, representative of the Society for Cyberabad Security Council among others.
Comprehensive surveillance system
Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy directed the officials to follow up with the Prime Minister’s Office about a letter earlier addressed to the Prime Minister requesting for a comprehensive surveillance system for Hyderabad. The proposed short and long term measures include installation, maintenance and continuous monitoring of the CC camera system, visible policing, increasing check-posts in IT corridors, policing on the ORR, barricading, vehicle checking, controlling and monitoring of private transport cabs and auto-rickshaws, branding of taxis by specific colour, registration of all the autos and taxis with the police.
The meeting also suggested establishment of pre-paid taxi, auto centres in the vicinity of IT corridors, increasing frequency of RTC buses, MMTS-RTC bus connectivity, electronic toll-gate management, survey of working women hostels, service hostels etc. Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy said that all sections of society should take up awareness campaigns about safety and security measures, Dos and Don’ts as many women IT employees were coming from rural areas.