Railways plans to install panic buttons in trains for women and child safety

The North Eastern Railways plans the deployment of women police personnel in sub-urban trains during night hours and to ensure an adequate number of personnel are there, it will start a recruitment drive for women in the RPF among others. This was revealed by chief PRO of NER, Sanjay Yadav to. This is being done in a bid to strengthen the security of women passengers in trains. North Eastern Railways also plans to install panic buttons in coaches - Railways is focussing on "women and child safety" this year and to make sure its efforts are successful, a Railway's recruitment drive will be launched.

With many reports of misdeeds with women travelling alone in trains, the Railways also proposes to have panic buttons in the coaches. This panic button will be linked with the guard coach.

Yadav said that these buttons would be placed at convenient spots for easy reach of women travellers above the electric switches. On pressing this button, the railway staff present inside the train would be informed promptly about the emergency situation in the particular



coach.

The women travellers, at present have to depend on either on the helpline numbers or by the chain-pulling in case of emergency situations. The panic button will ensure that immediate action is taken at times of emergency.

The other measures proposed by the railways to ensure the safety of the women passengers are different colours of the women coaches for easy identification, wire mesh in windows of ladies coaches.

Sanjay Yadav also said that work on the proposals is on progress and chances are there that the panic buttons might get installed in the railway coaches by the end of this year itself.

Some of the other proposals by the railways are upgradation of all-India security helpline, month-wise calendar of activities with the focus on women security and gender sensitisation.

Installation of CCTV cameras in women coaches of the sub-urban trains with live feed is also proposed by railways. At the same time, railways also proposed for  CCTV cameras on platforms to cover ladies coaches during the halt of trains.