Ranchi: The recent rape case of a 26-year-old dentist at a birthday party and the alleged molestation of a 3-year-old child by a school van driver in the city have prompted residents, particularly women, to voice their concerns about safety.
Residents demanded installation of sufficient CCTV cameras, streetlights in dark areas and prompt policing to curb crimes, especially against women.Several women shared their distressing experiences of harassment and abuse in public spaces, urging authorities to take concrete measures, such as increasing police patrolling, to ensure their safety.Rupali Munda, a working professional, stated that it is very tough for a woman to spend a day without encountering some unpleasant incident.“Harassment on city streets and unwanted touch on public transport vehicles have become a daily ordeal. In a 32-seater bus, at least 50 people are travelling; most of them are standing. I often experience unwanted touch on buses, putting me in a dilemma whether it was accidental or intentional,” she said.She added that buses should be either have security personnel or CCTV cameras must be installed so that there is fear against doing anything wrong.
A student of a college in Doranda area, Sadhna, said that she often gets harassed by a group of men, especially in areas where there is no adequate lighting. “Authorities must ensure that all lanes and bylanes in the city are illuminated with adequate lighting and equipped with CCTV cameras so that women feel safe to move even during odd hours,” she added.Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) mayor Roshni Khalkho said that she too is concerned about crimes against women. “To ensure women’s safety in public spaces, RMC is soon going to launch an adequate number of buses to ensure that no one has to travel standing. Also, there will be new fleets of buses especially for women and the disabled to ensure their safety,” she said.The mayor added that in a recent meeting of the corporation, 50 street lights, in addition to the existing ones, in each of the 53 wards have been sanctioned, to keep all lanes and bylanes of the city illuminated.
