Pink booths fail to meet expectations
New Delhi: The “Pink Booths” and “Integrated Facilitation Booths” in Delhi, designed to offer safe spaces for women, are failing to meet expectations, with many of them either locked, unmanned, or poorly staffed. Originally meant to be operated exclusively by female officers in areas with high footfall like markets, schools, and colleges, these booths are now seen as ineffective due to inconsistent staffing and lack of maintenance.
Recent checks revealed that most booths were either empty or had only a solitary male officer present, despite the initial promise that they would be staffed entirely by women. In some areas, the booths remained locked, leaving women without the support system they were promised.
In Kalkaji, the booth outside Deshbandhu College appeared operational, with a display board showing its working hours. However, it was empty when Millennium Post visited, and only after some time did a male officer arrive at the booth for a while and left. Local vendors noted that police officers do sit there, but they mostly get complaints about missing belongings or children.
One local resident, Rubina Khan, expressed her frustration, “I come around 9-10 every day from my office, and I have never seen a female cop here. Delhi, being one of the most unsafe cities, still cannot maintain such facilities. Even when I feel unsafe, I have to rely on my relatives and friends, but they don’t live nearby.”
In areas like Lajpat Nagar and Alaknanda, awareness about the Pink Booths is also alarmingly low. Some students near Lajpat Nagar could only guess that the booths were related to women’s issues, while residents of Alaknanda described the area as unsafe, especially at night. “This area becomes so quiet and empty during nights that it feels unsafe to travel. Even when I wanted to report an incident like eve-teasing, I couldn’t find any police inside,” said a local in Alaknanda.
Adding to the problem, many booths lack basic features such as display boards indicating opening and closing times, which were recommended by a senior Delhi Police officer. The absence of these boards, along with the booths often being locked or vacant, creates confusion and undermines the initiative’s credibility.
Women who frequently visits busy markets like Sarojini Nagar also expressed concerns. “I barely knew about the concept of Pink Booths, which proves that the idea has failed. This market always has a huge footfall, especially during winters, and every other girl faces discomfort. I feel that the police should be present not just at booths but always, even inside the market,” said one woman in the area.
Launched in 2021, the Pink Booth initiative aimed to empower women by providing immediate police support in times of distress. However, these booths now face significant operational shortcomings, including a lack of cameras, missing information, and the failure to provide female officers at every location. Despite these challenges, the initiative remains part of the Delhi Police’s broader effort to ensure women’s safety, though it is falling short of its original promise.
