Over 4 million women use the Indian Railways’ services everyday. And whether they’re travelling for work or a scenic journey, safety is a constant area of concern.
The Ministry of Railways recently acknowledged this gap in security—both on coaches and platforms—and has come out with an action plan that hopes to make the journey much safer. This comes on top of the pre-existing Meri Saheli project, which was launched in February to provide security to solo women travellers or women travelling with small children on Indian trains.
The new action plan has been published as a set of short-term and long-term guidelines that duty officers and staff must follow. The Ministry has also published suggestions on what passengers can do to help themselves.
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Short-term guidelines will be executed immediately, using whatever resources are currently available on hand. The long-term plans will improve basic infrastructure like CCTVs and light masts to help with surveillance.
Here are the highlights:
> Proper lighting is to be made available at all vulnerable places on railway premises.
> Any abandoned structures or unattended buildings in isolated areas have to be regularly checked until they can be demolished.
> Unauthorised entries and exits will be closed. Waiting rooms will be monitored by duty officers at all times, especially at odd hours. Such officers and other staff will also be scrutinised, and will have to undergo police verification. They will not be allowed onto any railway premises without ID cards.
> Special drives will be conducted to ‘apprehend and prosecute’ people consuming alcohol on stations and in trains. Railways staff have to take ‘exemplary action’ against such cases.
The Rail Ministry is also focusing on the soft skills needed by employees to be more sensitive towards incidents of eve teasing, molestation and assault. All staff will be encouraged to report complaints quickly and ask GRP/RPF officials to take prompt action, and will receive training that will help them identify and respond to women and children in distress.
Apart from this, CCTV surveillance will be boosted, and officials are to use the National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO) to monitor offenders living near a particular station.
Some other aspects that will receive more attention:
> Platform areas where people board women’s coaches, especially near halt stations
> Toilets, since most crimes have been reported here in the past
> Entry/exit gates of coaches. All staff, including pantry car employees, will be briefed to report any suspicious activity
What can you do as a passenger?
According to the Railways, you can:
> Check helpline numbers (printed on the back of train tickets)
> Be aware of the Pan India Emergency Response System that will help you report offences
> Read up on One Stop Centres (OSC)—they are designed to help passengers with integrated services like medical aid, police assistance, legal counselling/court case management and women suffering violence.
> Dial the new integrated helpline (139) for any further queries
We hope this news empowers women travellers to feel safer on their future train journeys. For more Indian Railways updates, stay tuned to the ixigo trains app!
