Pune: Female Security Guards To Be Made Mandatory At ST Bus Stations, Committee Recommends
Pune: Female Security Guards To Be Made Mandatory At ST Bus Stations, Committee Recommends
Pune: In the wake of a sexual assault case at Swargate bus station, a three-member committee of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has recommended making female security guards mandatory at 42 bus stations across 14 depots in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and rural areas. Currently, none of these stations have female security personnel. The report suggests deploying six female security guards at major stations and two to three at smaller ones.
Following state government directives, a security audit of these 42 stations was conducted, and the report was submitted on March 4. The audit highlighted security lapses at Swargate, Wakdewadi, and Baramati stations. Swargate and Wakdewadi, despite being high-traffic locations, only have 23 security guards and 24 CCTV cameras each, while Baramati station has 42 CCTV cameras. Rural bus stations have just eight CCTV cameras each, and the report emphasizes the need to increase this number.
Currently, 180 security guards are deployed across these stations through private agencies, but none are women. The report also recommends installing 40 additional CCTV cameras, hiring 40 more security guards, and strengthening security walls around the stations.
Need to Increase Security Walls
The audit also found deteriorated security walls at several stations, particularly in rural areas such as Narayangaon, Indapur, Bhor, Daund, Baramati, Shirur MIDC, Vallabhnagar, Manchar, Rajgurunagar, Talegaon Dabhade, and Saswad. Some walls are too low, allowing stray animals and unauthorized individuals to enter, leading to theft and security concerns. The report suggests increasing the height of these walls and ensuring their regular maintenance.
According to MSRTC Pune security measures are being planned based on passenger footfall, and action will be taken immediately upon government approval.
