Women’s issues to take centre-stage
LUCKNOW : With the UP government reserving the mayoral seat of Lucknow for women, issues related to the fair sex are set to take centre-stage.
Citizens hope that the issues, which had gone unaddressed in the past, would surely be addressed in near future.
Doa Naqvi, assistant professor in Urdu Persian University, said, “Parties will try to lure urban voters from across all classes with many promises. But we hope some specific issues will be addressed. We want exclusive toilets for women at all the markets, bus/ railway stations, parks and in colonies besides special schools and employment skill development centres for women. The effort must be to do some gender budgeting so that women could get their due.”
Archana Agarwal, a teacher, wants more schools for girls and special shelter homes for women where victims of domestic violence, poor women and others could get shelter. “Many times women suffer domestic violence or sexual abuse because they don’t have any place to live. Besides, streetlights are also a must for the safety of women in the city,” she said.
However, BJP’s mayoral candidate Sanyukta Bhatia said, “The party has already included construction of pink toilets at markets, bus stations, hospitals, and public places in its manifesto. We will also try to install water ATMs and submersibles in slums
and colonies where poor people reside, so that women don’t have to walk a long distances to fetch drinking water.”
“There is a plan to encourage participation and joint ownership of women in slum redevelopment under Pantpradhan Aawas Yojana. Another major decision is to construct hostels for working women on LMC land, besides construction of a daycare centre for elderly women and shelter homes for women facing domestic violence where they would be provided free counselling,” added Bhatia.
BSP candidate Bulbul Godiyal said, “I will try to go for setting up schools under the LMC, if allowed. There is a huge pool of untapped girl power, which could be utilised for city’s development. For that, safety at work place and public place is important, so I will try to ensure proper streetlights at secluded places so that girls are not victimised by criminals.”
Samajwadi Party candidate Meera Vardhan said, “Women still face inequality in the society and this has to be changed. My emphasis would be on empowering women to earn. If voted, I will
go for construction of public toilets for women. Besides, establishing corporation crèches in every ward will provide a relief for working women.”
“For me, women’s security is top priority. I will go for placing CCTV cameras in every market and at important roads of the city. To empower women, skill development centres would be established on LMC land while a committee of women would be formed to improve condition of toilets in girl schools,” said Priyanka Maheshwari, candidate of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).