NCP agenda: Making city safe for women

Talking about the lack of public toilets for women,Chavan said,“Just as people don’t want garbage bins next to their houses,the situation of toilets is the same. The entire city complains that there are no public toilets for women in the city. Even if there are toilets,they’re in a bad shape. But when it comes to allocating space for them,nobody wants to have toilets near their doorsteps.”

“The ladies special bus service,which was started earlier,had to be stopped because there were not enough buses. We intend to start the service again,with buses for women on specific routes. With so many multi-storeyed buildings coming up,and Pune becoming a compact city,we need to make the city women-friendly. Buildings need to have glass doors in lifts,and CCTV cameras at every landing and parking space,” she added.

Talking about the recent debate around a Metro rail for Pune,she said,“An underground Metro will again be a cause of concern for women’s safety. If underground subways have small commercial units like photocopy shops,telephone booths,tea and coffee shops,the footfall will ensure that they are not deserted,and hence safe for women.”