Separate buses for women, decoy parties to curb eve-teasing

More than 7,000 students of different colleges board buses every day, say police

VIJAYAWADA (AP) SUNDAY, 06/12/2009: APSRTC buses that go to Telangana districts parked in the depot in the wake of bandh call given by TRS in Vijayawada on Sunday. PHOTO: CH.VIJAYA BHASKAR. 06-12-2009, DIGITAL IMAGE

After the Delhi gang rape and murder of a para-medical student and the public outcry on increasing attacks on women, the city police have chalked out plans to curb eve-teasing.

The police held discussions with the college managements and Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) in this regard and urged them to cooperate with the police for achieving the desired results.

According to the police more than 7,000 students of different colleges board the buses every day to reach their destinations. Police identified vulnerable points at the bus stops and other public places.

In a meeting held with the college managements, the police appealed to the institution heads to release boys and girls separately to prevent rush at the bus stops and avoid likely comments passed on girl students by eve-teasers.

The college managements have been requested to fix different slots, with half-an-hour gap and release the students to avoid traffic on the main roads. The colleges should also depute staff to keep a vigil at the bus stops, the police opined.

Police decided to arrange decoy parties in the buses and other public places to check teasing and ragging. The decoy police will move in the public at bus terminals and in moving buses and catch the stalkers and the youth who behave vulgarly with girls and women.

City Police Commissioner N. Madhusudhan Reddy has said that decoy parties would be deployed from each police station in all the three zones in the city. The decoy cops will assist the Task Force police who are on the job, said Mr. Reddy.

The police also requested the APSRTC officials to operate separate buses for women during peak hours, which will prevent teasing and ragging. The corporation authorities responded positively for the proposal, said the police. “We appealed to the RTC officials to run ‘women special buses’ on Bandar Road, Eluru Road and other potential routes. Besides that patrolling will be intensified by Blue Colts police to check teasing of girls at bus stations”, said a police officer.