New Delhi: To ensure the safety of women and to keep the crime rate under check, the Delhi police will launch a mobile app to inform the concerned civic authorities about dark spots in the city.
A senior police official said that during a meeting with the lieutenant-governor, the plan was tabled and it got approval. The app has been designed, but the mapping of the streetlights is underway. “The mapping of the routes will be done with the help of ISRO for accuracy,” said an official.
“We have got the nod to design the app and it will be downloaded only by the police personnel deployed in PCR vans and by the concerned civic agencies. There are around 7,000 dark spots and 326 dark routes that are prone to crime,” said a senior police official.
He further said that these dark spots are detected by an NGO, which works to ensure the safety of women in Delhi, through data-driven decision making techniques.
“On the basis of data provided by the civic agencies, the location and status of each and every streetlight will be marked in the mobile application. The PCR van on patrolling duty will keep tab on the status of the streetlights and update the status as functional or dysfunctional on the mobile app,” he added.
The status report of the streetlights will be accessible to the senior officials of the civic agencies for further action.
“The chief secretary will coordinate with the officials of South, North, and East MCD, NDMC, and PWD to provide details of the streetlights under their jurisdiction. The app will be available for download after the compilation of data and mapping of the streetlights,” added the senior police official.
“During the night, commuters probably prefer routes that are well-lit over those that aren’t. Therefore, it makes a huge difference in lowering the crime rate and it also ensures the safety of women in the city,” said a police official, adding, “We aim to provide safety to every person round the clock.”
Women returning from offices at night should not feel scared in the late hours because of the dark. Lit-up roads are a good way of making streets more active even at night. We suggest women to download the ‘Himmat’ app for any police assistance.”
