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September 30, 2011

Delhi unsafe for women: 100 areas mapped

Women beware, Nelson Mandela Rd, CP among most unsafe places

NEW DELHI: That Nelson Mandela Road made it to the list of unsafe places is no surprise; Soumya Vishwanathan was shot dead on the road in 2008. Three years on, Delhiites still find that stretch connecting Outer Ring Road with Vasant Kunj one of the most dangerous places in the city. The outer circle of Connaught Place, several metro stations and a few sectors of Noida have found a place in a list of 100 Most Unsafe Places in Delhi and NCR for women.
Drawn up by Delhi-based NGO, WhyPoll Trust, the list - mapped on a Google map accessible online from the website - is based on inputs from over 50,000 citizens approached at malls, through resident welfare associations and online over three months. Places featured on the list are areas where the respondents experienced harassment, felt insecure or unsafe. "We got the respondents to give very specific inputs," says Hindol Sengupta of WhyPoll. The list names several metro stations - Dwarka Sector 8 and 9, Sultanpur, Shadipur and Rithala - the crossing at Dhaula Kuan and even a parking lot (Priya cinema).
Whypoll.org also serves as a harassment-reporting site. As new data is gathered from reports, it is used to update or modify the map. "We never get proper data. We wanted to create a platform which tells you how harassment happens, where it's likely to happen," says Sengupta. He hopes that this will "push authorities to constantly focus on the issue." "Also this is a public portal," he continues, "It'll warn tourists. And when tourists are affected, governments are forced to act." There aren't many tourist places on the map but, on the other hand, it has entire regions - Sarita Vihar, Lakshmi Nagar, Jahangirpuri, Karol Bagh, Seelampur, Trilokpuri, Vikaspuri. Old Delhi is not in it.
Whypoll has also collaborated with a company to develop a mobile application for women which they can use when in distress. Called "Fight Back" or [fB], the application once downloaded onto a handset can be used to send an SOS distress signal to friends and family through text messages on phone and social networking sites (Facebook, mainly). The developers had a particular profile in mind while creating the application, set to launch in the next quarter. It's mainly for women with smart phones - a prerequisite for applications - who are active on social networks. Fight Back can be used to track movements of users. The data is stored in a server and is viewable only when the user hits the panic button on her mobile. When a user switches on the application, a pre-determined list of friends and family members will receive alerts and also the route she took. The company is now working out security issues. "The idea is to empower each individual to take care of her safety but privacy issues are now being addressed. We don't want any stalkers using this," says a company source. There will be a nominal fee for the service and a registration fee.
Sengupta hopes that the application will not just benefit women but also help in generating data that'll allow more accurate mapping of problem areas. For now, there are a 100: Nelson Mandela Marg, Dhaula Kuan, Benito Juarez Marg, Paharganj, Mehrauli - Gurgaon Road, Ghitorni Metro Station, Sarita Vihar, Karol Bagh, Lado Sarai, Mathura Road and bypass leading to Surajkund, Jasola Vihar, Kalyanpuri, Bhogal, Mehrauli Badarpur Road, Noida Sector 53, Vinod Nagar, Vasant Kunj Marg, Trilokpuri, Vikaspuri, Karawal Nagar, Priya cinema parking lot, Vasundhara (Ghaziabad), Vaishali (Ghaziabad), Sultanpur, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Africa Avenue, Vasant Kunj
Noida sectors 5, 12, 27, 32, 34, 37, 50, 71, Kalindi Kunj Road, Palam Vihar (Gurgaon), Naraina, Sarita Vihar, Badarpur border, Mithapur (Faridabad), Chattarpur, Ignou Road, Neb Sarai, Priyadarshini Vihar, Tughlakabad, Seelampur, Kamla Nehru Ridge Forest Area, Nithari Village (Noida), Khandsa Road (Gurgaon), Muhammadpur (Gurgaon), Narsinghpur (Gurgaon), Vande Mataram Marg, Badhshahpur (Gurgaon), Pandav Nagar, Farukhnagar (Gurgaon), Peeragarhi (sometimes spelt as Pira Garhi), Jheel Park, Sector 14 metro station (Dwarka), Sector 11, 12 (Dwarka)
Jungle Area (Kikar), National Park - Amar Colony, Jisop Broz Tito Marg, AIT Chowk - Sector 55 (Gurgaon), Sikandarpur Metro Station, Sikandarpur, Lakshmi Nagar, Jahangirpuri, Sector 2, 16 (Faridabad), Raghubir Nagar,Adarsh Nagar, Shahadara, Rithala Metro Station, Mangolpuri, Gwal Pahari (Gurgaon), Arjangarh, Katwarai Sarai, Aya Nagar (Gurgaon), Ratiya Marg
Dwarka Sector 8, 9 metro stations, Manglapuri, Kapashera Najafgarh Road, 100 foot road, Sultanpur Metro Station, Keshopur Road, Shadipur Metro station, National Park (Amar Colony), Asola village, Jagatpur, Madangiri, Govindpuri, Subhash Nagar, Deoli Road, Outer Circle Connaught Place, Govind Town, Raj Nagar (Ghaziabad)

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