Kolkata: A spate of rapes and molestations inside public transport has forced the city to install close-circuit-television cameras (CCTV) on buses to make women passengers feel safe.
According to officials of the Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), not only there has been an upgradation of the fleet with spacious air-conditioned cabins, 632 of them have CCTV cameras installed inside to ensure women passengers feel safe.
“We are modernising the fleet and one of the key areas is to ensure women passengers feel safe. Off late there had been incidences of rapes inside public transport which we believe will stop,” an official of CSTC said.
Women passengers have welcomed the move saying it will go a long way in ensuring their safety inside public transport. “It is a very good intitative as most men who indulge in such crimes believe they can go scot-free due to lack of enough evidence. Just the presence of a camera will ensure men behave properly,” Sanghita Roy, a commuter opined.
Men have also welcomed the move, saying it will ensure safety of all as even pickpockets and other antisocial elements will think twice before committing crimes. “There was an instance where a women falsely charged a colleague of mine of harassment. Such things will not happen if a CCTV camera is installed in all buses,” said Pallab Das.
Though many may question the move calling it an intrusion of privacy, most passengers were in favour of installing the cameras. “This is a public space and if the authorities are watching to ensure safety then it is a welcome move. The government should ensure all private buses should have cameras for safety of passengers,” said Kris Dasgupta.
Whether the government will be able to force private operators to install cameras is a matter of debate, but the move to install cameras will send out a signal that the state government is concerned about the safety of women, especially since a women is the chief minister of the state.
“The recent incidents of rape have shamed the city which is known as the cultural capital of India. The state government should do everything to ensure public places are safe. We individuals should also ensure safety of women within the four walls of the house which seems to be the most unsafe place, as per statistics,” said Shika Bose, a college professor.
