Safe with a capital ‘S’

When the topic of safety comes up, Delhi is the last place that comes to one’s mind in India. But, a recent list released by the Economist Intelligence Unit featured Delhi as one of the safest cities in the world. What comes as an even bigger surprise is the fact that Delhi is the only Indian city to be on the list other than Mumbai. Out of the 60 cities that made an appearance on the list, New Delhi was ranked at 52 and Mumbai at 45 in the Safe Cities Index 2019.

“Is this a joke? Delhi might not be the most unsafe city ever, but it is definitely one of the worst,” reacts Deepshikha Chatterjee, a Delhi-based television professional on hearing this bit of information. “The Delhi I grew up in is drastically different from the Delhi we see today. As a woman, of course, I have to take a lot of precaution and not step out unless it’s absolutely necessary,” she laments. The safety scenario of the city is so compromising that city residents, especially women, have to keep their guard up all the time. Speaking of her own experience, Chatterjee says, “Sometimes when I have to travel late at night, I have to take a cab and as a precaution keep talking to someone constantly and keep my eyes fixated on the cab driver’s device. Saba Karimi, a former city resident, chimes in, “My personal experience in the city was extremely bad because I can’t recollect one night when I was not scared of returning home after dark, alone.”

While crimes against women are frequent in the capital, a number of murder, burglary and road rage incidents were also reported in the last few months. “Every one is in a hurry in the city and no one has time for anyone else. I witnessed a road rage incident just last month. No one has time for anyone in this city and everyone seems to be taking out their anger on whoever seems vulnerable to them,” opines Swamuddin, a city-based cab driver. Swamuddin, who has been driving in Delhi for almost three years now and mostly covers night shifts, believes that the city is unsafe as ever and the scenario at night is the worst. He blames corruption and bribery as two root causes for the lack of effective safety enforcers in the city.

To some other residents, the status of the safety situation in the city brings mixed feelings. “I actually feel quite safe in the locality I stay in. I can take late-night strolls here. But, then again, a middle-aged man in a crowded metro once sexually harassed me. So, it is difficult to say if anything has changed really,” recalls Misbaur Rahman, a college student from the city. While some believe that the recent government in the city has tried to turn things around for better, it is not so easy. “Though, I would say the AAP government has taken several steps towards making Delhi more livable, the situation seems almost hopeless. But, then again, which city today is safe anyway?” wonders Deepshikha Chatterjee.

The survey, which took multiple factors like digital security, health security, infrastructure and personal safety, has named Tokyo, Singapore and Osaka as the top three safe cities in the world.