Dedicated Call Centre For Women Security Launched

A dedicated call centre and an information technology (IT) forum are among a slew of measures announced by police and Society for Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC) on Wednesday for enhancing security of women employees in the IT Corridor. Apart from an 'IT Women Forum', the SCSC has decided to set up a call center under the chairmanship of additional deputy commissioner of police Janaki Sharmila. This was announced by Cyberabad police and honchos of IT companies during the launch of 'Education Campaign On Women Safety' with five videos in the presence of hundreds of IT employees on Ascendas campus to announce the security measures exactly two moths after the 23-year-old techie's abduction and rape case.

Speaking on the occasion, Cyberabad police commissioner CV Anand said existing 47 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras and soon-to-be acquired CCTV cameras would have night vision facility. SCSC authorities said it would be done in the next three to four months. Both police and IT honchos appealed to IT employees, especially women, to prefer APSRTC as their mode of transport as it was safe compared to other private transport facilities. However, SCSC secretary V Srinivasa Prasad said that plans were afoot to set up pre-paid auto stands like the ones at major railway stations. The authorities assured that it would be risk-free since only auto drivers whose background check has been checked and registered would be allowed at pre-paid stands.

"We want all malls, business establishments in the IT corridor to get their CCTV network connected to the Cyberabad police network so that monitoring can be done by police too,'' Anand said. Tennis star Sania Mirza said, "Men who commit atrocities like the ones perpetrated on Abhaya and Nirbhaya are animals. I suggest all women use pepper sprays whenever someone stares at you.'' Sania, who acted in one of the five short films, said. Along with Sania, director-general of police (DGP) B Prasada Rao and other participants stressed on the need for woman employees to always carry a pepper spray. In the IT corridor, a team, comprising of 80 dedicated police personnel, would perform their duties and the government would spend Rs two crore per month for meeting security needs of the corridor. On the occasion, the Cyberabad police have started a women helpline 9494731100.

The five videos demonstrate how gullible females could fall prey to the designs of miscreants out of negligence and not taking proper precautions. The videos dwell on how to avoid getting into trouble and how to deal during the crisis. In her video, Sania Mirza dwells on dos and don'ts. These videos would be played through various media and they would be used by IT companies to educate their employees and during induction programme for new employees. A special mobile app (Application) has also been developed. APIIC managing director Jayesh Ranjan said as of now there was only 17% green cover in the IT corridor and it would be improved to 30%. He said APIIC would soon come out with four campaigns 'Cycle to Work', 'Every Building has to be Green Building', 'Disabled-Friendly Buildings', 'Improving Green Cover, Save Water'.