By IANS,
New Delhi: In the wake of the Dec 16 gang-rape, the number of Police Control Room (PCR) vans and helplines will be increased in Delhi and schools will hire buses only after verifying the crew, an official statement from the home ministry said Wednesday.
The decision came after the first meeting of the special task force, headed by the home secretary, to look into the safety issues of women in Delhi and review the functioning of Delhi Police on an ongoing basis.
“It was agreed to increase the number of (PCR telephone) lines from 60 to 100,” the statement said.
“The number of PCR vans was found inadequate and will be revised suitably to make them more proactive and responsive,” it added.
The task force has set March 1 as the deadline for all public transport vehicles to get their crew verified by the Delhi Police, while Feb 1 is the deadline for buses operating with schools.
No vehicle would be allowed to ply on the roads of Delhi without complying with the guidelines, the task force said.
Global Positioning System (GPS) and CCTV cameras would also be installed in all Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and buses running under the cluster scheme by Feb 1 and March 1, respectively.
The task force was formed after an assurance given by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to parliament last month following an uproar over the torture and gang-rape of a young woman in a moving bus in the capital. The woman later died in a Singapore hospital.