LG orders Nodal Police Officer, Pink Booth for DU Women’s college
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Wednesday directed the appointment of a dedicated Nodal Police Officer and the establishment of a Pink Booth for every DU women’s college. The directives came after the principals from ten institutions listed a common set of ground-level dangers students face daily, from e-rickshaws and autos forcibly soliciting passengers outside college gates to dark, unlit stretches on approach roads.
Sandhu chaired a meeting with Principals of Women’s Colleges of the University of Delhi, along with the DU Vice-Chancellor and senior officials including Special CP, Joint CPs, DCPs, the Secretary-cum-Commissioner of Transport, Additional Commissioner of MCD and Engineer-in-Chief of PWD. Colleges represented included LSR, Lady Irwin, Miranda House, Daulat Ram, Jesus and Mary, Laxmibai, Mata Sundri, Gargi, Indraprastha and Janki Devi College.
When asked to list their concerns, Principals and Deans raised a range of pressing safety issues affecting students. These included e-rickshaws, autos and taxis forcibly soliciting passengers while blocking college entrances; lack of safe last-mile connectivity; encroached footpaths and pathways; unregulated vending; dark spots with insufficient illumination; unsafe parks near campuses; public toilets near campuses; obscene flashing; and the need for more Pink Booths and patrolling.
On infrastructure, Sandhu directed PWD and MCD to repair street lights and install high mast lights to eliminate dark spots on approach roads used by students, and to ensure adequate lighting and CCTV coverage at bus stops and other public stretches. He ordered removal of objectionable graffiti on college exterior walls and clearing of overgrown vegetation around campuses to improve visibility.
On policing, Sandhu directed enhanced patrolling, PCR deployment and picket checking around colleges, metro stations and isolated stretches, particularly during morning and evening hours, along with Pink Booths staffed by trained personnel. He ordered additional police deployment near college premises and high-footfall areas for women and students, a dedicated Nodal Police Officer for each college to coordinate and act promptly on complaints of eve-teasing and obscene flashing, backed by plainclothes surveillance and an emergency response mechanism. He also directed a safety audit of areas around educational institutions and removal of stationary buses parked near colleges that create obstructed, isolated stretches.
On civic issues, Sandhu directed MCD to remove unauthorised encroachments and street vendors around colleges, remove men’s public washrooms and unauthorised taxi stands adjoining college boundary walls, and relocate MCD Dhalaos that attract ragpickers and unauthorised persons near campuses. He ordered that parks near colleges, often occupied by people drinking or using substances, be secured, and footpaths kept free of vendors and vehicles.
On transport, Sandhu directed enhanced connectivity from colleges to metro stations, including evening shuttle services, U-Special buses and Metro Feeder buses, along with regulation of e-rickshaws and auto-rickshaws through dedicated pick-up and drop-off points and a clear mechanism for reporting driver misconduct. He also directed regular self-defence programmes and gender sensitisation workshops for students, jointly conducted by Police and WCD.
Sandhu directed DU and the Higher Education Department to examine the use of Government accommodation as hostels and to set up an Inter-College Women Safety Committee for north and south campus colleges. He also ordered development of a student safety application featuring emergency alerts, GPS-based location sharing and real-time reporting of safety concerns, along with uninterrupted mobile network connectivity across college localities. Progress in all directions will be monitored every fortnight.
