Indian Railways panic button on trains soon; PSU set to take women's safety to next level

Indian Railways is taking its bid to ensure women's security on its trains to next level. In its latest effort to strengthen the security of women passengers on trains, the Northern Eastern Railways is set to deploy women police personnel on trains during night hours and it is also planning to install panic button in coaches.  Among other notable proposals are the installation of CCTV cameras in women coaches of the sub-urban trains with live feed. At the same time, Railways also proposed installation of CCTV cameras on platforms to cover ladies coaches during stopovers.

Since the Railways is focussing on "women and child safety" this year, it plans the deployment of women police personnel in suburban trains during night hours besides recruitment of women in the RPF among others, chief PRO of NER, Sanjay Yadav told PTI.

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, according to a PTI report.

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.

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According to the PTI report, the other measures proposed by the railways to ensure the safety of the women passengers are different colours of the women's 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.