Six SHE teams in civvies man Hyderabad Metro trains

Hyderabad: The city police has deployed six SHE Teams comprising of three members each, dressed in civvies, on the Metro trains to check against eve-teasing and harassment of women during travel. So far, though, no incident of harassment has come to light.

The SHE Teams travel on the Metro and also man the platforms. Assistant commissioner of police D. Kavitha said, “The teams work in shifts in order to have constant vigil. Women who face any untoward situation can get in touch with us over social media. They can also complain to the Metro rail security personnel and the station in-charge with whom we have been interacting on a regular basis.”

In fact, SHE Teams have been on duty on the Metro from the day the Hyderabad Metro Rail started commercial operations. Since men and women passengers travel together in all coaches on the Metro and the crowd size is rather large, the SHE teams have been on the alert all the time looking out for trouble-makers to avoid harassment of women during travel.

Security CCTV cameras on the train, platform and concourse level are being checked by L&T operations team in Nagole. They have been instructed to alert security personnel in case any mischief is observed on the camera monitors.
“We are also checking the footage in real time to ensure that women feel safe in the Metro rail travel. Women must dial 100 and alert us immediately in case of trouble. They can also contact us via Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp,” Kavitha said. An awareness programme on safety aspects was conducted at Ameerpet station for women travellers.

KTR to look into sanitation woes
The issue of drinking water, toilets and parking will be sorted out soon, stated minister for municipal administration and urban development K.T. Rama Rao in a review meeting of the Metro Rail held on Tuesday. Commuters have been complaining about toilets which although at the concourse level are available but can’t be used as they are locked or are too messy. These aspects were pointed out apart from the street level works which are still being carried out in majority of the station areas.

A senior officer explained, “The major issue was parking as many of them are asking for parking facilities at all the stations. The government has asked Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited to work out a plan so that facilities can be provided at all the stations.” Presently, the parking is only at major stations like Ameerpet, Parade Grounds, Nagole, Miyapur and Uppal. But in other station areas also there is a demand for parking facilities.