Maneka rejects DCW’s demand to give Nirbhaya Fund to install CCTVs in DTC buses

While CCTV footage of a girl being molested and thrashed in Bangalore on New Year’s eve is being looked as credible evidence, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi has rejected the demand of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to allocate Nirbhaya Fund for installation of CCTV cameras in DTC buses for security of women.

“The quality of CCTV footage is not good enough to establish in appropriate touching in buses by passengers. Therefore, we have rejected the demand of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to allocate Nirbhaya Fund for CCTV cameras,” said Maneka Gandhi. 

She, however, argued that the ‘One Stop Centre’ (OSC) scheme of the Central government is more appropriate and efficient in providing immediate help to women. “We have allocated funds for opening 11 such OSCs in Delhi from Nirbhaya Fund costing around Rs 70 per centre. 

Despite several communications there is no progress for OSCs in Delhi,” she added. The OSCs provide integrated services to women affected by violence including police assistance, medical, legal aid, case management, psychological counseling and temporary shelter for women. So far, there are 51 OSCs in the country in which 100 more OSCs will be added by March. 

In the wake of infamous Nirbhaya gang-rape case in 2012 in a moving bus, the Aam Aadmi Party government had announced to install CCTV cameras in all DTC buses after coming to power. So far only five percent of 4,200 DTC buses have got CCTV cameras. “The state government doesn’t have workable proposals to use Nirbhaya Fund which is the main reason of poor utilisation of the allocation,” argued Gandhi.