Night shifts: A major safety concern for women in Noida, Gr Noida

From lewd comments to stalking in broad daylight, Noida and Greater Noida women face it all. Even in the most bustling parts of the city like Sector 18’s Atta Market or Sector-29’s Brahmaputra Market, eve-teasing is a common problem. After sunset, as the Noida Roads wear a deserted look, safety is a major reason to worry for working women.

The twin cities of Noida and Greater Noida are a hub of industrial activities with several MNCs and IT companies operating round-the-clock. These companies hire thousands of women professionals in the night shift who are always worried for their safety. Some companies do not own their own canteen in the office premises which force the female employees working in the night shifts to walk to the nearby kiosk for tea or other refreshment.

Ekta Bhargava, an HR professional in an MNC in Noida said: “Sometimes we have to step into a new cab with a new driver which forces us to remain alert all the time and it is always unsafe unless a male colleague is also present in the cab. Safety is always a reason to worry as we have to ignore some vulgar comments by drunken rascals at night when we go out at tea stalls near our office during the break time. In the dark, we really have to be careful so we take along a male colleague with us to feel a bit safe while going out to have snacks.”

Many companies provide pick-up and drop services for women at night but incidents of attacks on women remain a concern. Many cases of woman harassment get reported in the work places also. 

The renowned companies for the sake of their image, however, try to provide justice to the victim but some female employees complain that small or startups companies ignore the complaints of female employees.