Chennai: Travelling in EMUs miÂght be less scary henÂceforth, at least for women for the RPF has started manning every EMU operated between 10pm and 6am in the city since Wednesday.
All 95 EMUs operated on five different routes connecting the city to its suburbs between 10pm and 6 am are being provided with two RPF constables who occupy the first class cum ladies coach at the front and rear of the EMUs.
The two constables will alight at every station and monitor other coaÂches. The constables have also been instructed to blow the whistle at stations to make their presence felt. Senior divisional security commissioner S.R. Gandhi believes the whistle blowing will caution people and keep troublemakers at bay.
About 60 male RPF constables are being invÂolved in the initiative, the primary objective of which is to optimise women passengers’ safety during late hours. In future, women RPF constables will also be considered for the security measure, Gandhi added explaining how they split the 60 constables for 43 services on Beach-Tambaram, Beach-VelaÂchery (MRTS) route and 52 services connecting Moore Market Complex (Chennai Central) to TiruÂvallur, GummÂidipÂoondi and Avadi.
For instance, the two constables aboard the last Gummidipoondi bound EMU starting from MMC at 00.15 am will halt at GummiÂdipoondi and start from the first service which will start as early as 4am.
RPF, which conducted a week long study, eliciting views of 100 women passengers traveling late has received a pat on the back from passengers, mostly women.
“The women say they feel safer. Presence of policemen also prevents men from boarding the ladies coach during late hours,” Gandhi reasoned.
Incidentally, RPF started the initiative barely a few days before a study group of the parliamentary committee on railways arrives to elicit the views of the public and daily commuters on enhancing quality of suburban train services, particularly the safety of women passengers.
