Measures proposed to ensure safety of women passengers on trains

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit (PMSRU), in the wake of a woman’s gang-rape in a train, has proposed measures to ensure safety of woman passengers.

The measures for the safety of female passengers have been proposed in the light of the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who took notice of a recent incident in which a woman in the Bahauddin Zakariya Express was gang-raped by three railway employees. The measures proposed by the PM’s Strategic Reforms Unit, led by Salman Sufi, include deployment of Lady Railway Police Force (LRPF) at railway stations and a video surveillance system. The unit has suggested that MRPF teams comprising a lady sub-inspector and two lady constables

be formed and emergency SOS buttons be installed in trains besides CCTV cameras in the corridors of each bogie. A video surveillance system should be installed at sensitive locations of all railway stations and control rooms be set up in all trains.

The unit proposed that a face recognition camera application be made to trace culprits and their previous records through facial recognition. It should be ensured that before awarding the contract for outsourced trains, all private employees will get clearance from the agencies concerned and special security branch. For the guidance of female passengers, a Safar Saheli mobile app should be launched. Instructions regarding downloading the app and emergency number should be printed on tickets. For awareness about the safety of women, a campaign should be launched through posters, pamphlets, handbills and announcements at all railway stations across the country, besides broadcasting them electronically.