Lack of night time transport makes it a jittery ride home
GURGAON : The lack of last mile connectivity in Gurgaon has emerged as a major security threat for commuters, especially working women. Most working women say they have little option but to rely on a family member to pick them up from a transit point or board auto-rickshaws which do not inspire confidence of a safe ride home.
With recent cases of some cab drivers being booked for allegedly molesting women passengers, family members count anxious minutes when women board cabs for a ride home at night. Thin police presence at such transit points further aggravate the woes of commuters, especially women, taking a ride home at night.
Mukta Sharma (26), a daily commuter who resides on Sohna Road, said, “It is not a safe ride home from the Metro station every day. The auto drivers often persuade us to board their vehicles and, if refused, start abusing us. Our family members spend anxious minutes till we reach home.”
Neha Jha, an IT executive working in Okhla and living in Sushant Lok-1 said, “On Wednesday, I got down at MG Road Metro station and while walking down the staircase, an auto driver asked me to board his vehicle. I refused several times, but he kept on pestering me. As I ignored him and walked on, he threatened and abused me.”
“There’s no point approaching policemen posted at these points, as they ignore our pleas for action and ask us to visit police stations instead,” Mayuri Puri, another regular commuter, said.
The Gurgaon police claimed to have stepped up deployment on MG Road and near all Metro stations at night.
“Women officers are deployed at these spots and PCR vans are stationed at night outside Metro stations. Anyone facing harassment should immediately report the incident to the police control room,” Sudeep Kumar, station house officer, DLF Phase 2 police station, said.