Eight years after the Metro began its services in Dwarka, last mile connectivity and safety of commuters remain matters of concern for most, especially women.
The Residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) have accused the authorities of not taking up issues related to their security. Other issues raised by the RWAs include presence of dark spots, unauthorised parking by private buses and public drinking at all the 10 metro stations of Dwarka.
When The Hindu approached the authorities concerned over these issues, they tried to shift the blame on to other departments.
Meetings on various issues related to law and order, including women’s safety, are chaired by Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal every month. Among others, representatives of the police and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) attend these meetings.
The police claimed they had raised the issue of poorly lit roads outside metro stations in these meetings but in vain. Meanwhile, the DMRC said its jurisdiction ended at the boundaries of the metro stations.
The survey report by the police on the status of safety measures for women at Dwarka metro stations recommended identification of vacant lands by the Delhi Development Authority and cordoning them off to stop illegal activities. The report also recommended regular pruning of trees and bushes in DDA parking areas and proper lights on all roads around metro stations.
To a question on dimly-lit streets near metro stations and vacant plots, DDA officials said, “The first step is to identify whether the streets concerned fall under the jurisdiction of the DDA or the civic bodies. If they are under the DDA, we will resolve the issue by installing proper street lights. We usually attend to such issues whenever we receive specific complaints.”
In the case of the DMRC, the report recommended that last mile connectivity can be provided by starting Metro feeder buses around crowded metro stations. It added that areas outside metro stations should be covered by CCTV cameras and safety app for women, Himmat Plus, should be promoted by the Metro. Besides these, it recommended provision of valet parking and promotion of buddy passenger services, where two people or “buddies” keep track of each other.
As of Sunday evening, the DMRC was yet to respond to questions on safety measures taken by it. However, a DMRC official said, “The DMRC is only concerned about security within metro station premises. Anything beyond that is not under our jurisdiction.”
In the case of the police, the report recommend regulation of prepaid auto and e-rickshaw booths and verification of drivers. It also said that areas around liquor stores located near metro stations should be checked regularly by beat officers to discourage public drinking. Repeated attempts by The Hindu for a response from the police did not receive any response.
