PUNE, Oct 2: The villages on the outskirts of the city will soon set in a new trend - curbing rising crime against women and children by forming mohalla committees.Over 150 villages from Pune district have been selected for participation in the mohalla committees on experimental basis. The implementation of the project will begin within a month, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Home) Mangaldas Ahiwale here on Thursday.Concerned about the alarming rise in crime against women and children, several organisations such as Unifem, United Nations Fund for Women, Union Home Ministry, Union Child Welfare Ministry and Stree Adhar Kendra have decided to begin implementation of the project in areas falling under the jurisdiction of the Chakan and Loni Kalbhor police stations in Pune district and Warli police station in Mumbai. At the same time, the implementation of the project will start in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.As part of the project, the police will take initiative in forming mohalla committees ineach of the villages participating in the project. The committees would comprise prominent villagers, especially women. Each of the committees will have around 100 members.Details pertaining to implementation of the project were finalised at a workshop held in Mumbai on September 26. Secretary of the Women and Children Welfare Ministry Asha Das, president of Stree Adhar Kendra, Neelam Gorhe, Ministers of State for Home Prabhakar More and Gajanan Kirtikar, women's activist Chandani Joshi, Director General of Police Arvind Inamdar and Superintendent of Police Suresh Khopade addressed the workshop which was attended by senior police officials.These committees would hold monthly meetings to tackle the crime against women and children at village-level. The thrust would be laid on counselling and rehabilitation of the victims.Meanwhile, Khopade has already launched a project to form mohalla committees at village-level to ensure law and order. Over 1000 such committees have been formed during the last twomonths. Earlier, Khopade had successfully used such committees to curb communal violence in Bhiwandi.
