Govt launches pilot project to install panic button in Delhi’s public buses
NEW DELHI: On the eve of International Women’s Day on Wednesday, the Delhi government launched a pilot project installing panic alarm system in public buses so that women passengers can raise an alarm if they experience harassment or violence.
The pilot project for panic alarm system has been launched in five cluster buses (orange coloured buses) of Rajghat-2 depot and plying on route number 522. The bus numbers are DL1PC 6613, DL1PD 0740, DL1PD 0572, DL1PD 2781 and DL1PD 1476.
In a statement, Delhi’s transport minister Kailash Gahlot said that panic alarms in buses will add the third line of defence to ensure women safety in Delhi buses. “Our government has already deployed bus marshalls in all DTC buses, and implemented CCTVs in 200 DTC buses on a pilot basis. By March 2019, we will be scaling up all these initiatives to cover all DTC and cluster buses, thereby guaranteeing a safe and harassment-free bus ride for Delhi’s women.”
The project has been implemented in collaboration with a Bengaluru-based NGO, Project Durga, which has been working in the area of women safety and gender equity in public spaces in India.
Four panic buttons have been installed to cover the entire length of the bus. The alarm, raised by pressing the button, will be a loud beeping one and will remain active for 40 seconds. During this time, it cannot be deactivated.
“Upon hearing the alarm, the conductor will see the location of the alarm, and intervene. If the situation can’t be addressed on the spot, the conductor will call the depot manager, who will intimate a PCR van, if necessary,” the statement said.
The panic alarm system will also be integrated with the GPS location of the bus, so that every time the alarm is pressed, the depot manager and Central Command Centre of cluster bus operations at Delhi Integrated MultiModal Transit System (DIMTS) Kashmere Gate gets an alert.