Odisha Plans Nine Women’s Safety Measures in Sambalpur at Rs 10 Crore

Bhubaneswar: CCTV surveillance, dedicated police response vehicles, pink e-rickshaws and assistance centres are among nine initiatives proposed by the Odisha Government to improve the safety of women and girls in Sambalpur. The initiatives, estimated to cost Rs 10 crore, will be implemented under the Nirbhaya initiative.

The proposals came up for discussion at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. Sambalpur Collector Siddeshwar Baliram Bondre joined the meeting virtually and presented the proposed plans. Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Hemant Sharma, and Director General of Police Vinaytosh Mishra were also present.

Under the proposed plan, women police personnel will be equipped with 15 two-wheelers for patrolling and quick assistance under ‘Shakti Sarathi’. Another initiative, ‘Pratikriya’, will provide 15 emergency response vehicles, with drones also proposed for rescue and assistance operations.

Technology-based monitoring will be strengthened through ‘Drishti’, which envisages installing 800 CCTV cameras at 210 locations across Sambalpur. Five police assistance centres will also be set up under ‘S-Stop’ to facilitate access to police support.

For safer mobility, ‘Sahayatra’ proposes the operation of 40 pink e-rickshaws to provide women with affordable transport. The initiative is intended to address transportation needs and improve access to safer travel options.

The government has also proposed four assistance centres under ‘Nirbhaya Sadan’ at the district court premises, railway station, Burla medical area and district headquarters hospital. These locations have been identified to make assistance available at important public facilities.

Under ‘Sathi’, six toilets with nursing facilities are proposed to improve access to essential public amenities. The ‘Yatra’ initiative, meanwhile, will introduce real-time tracking of buses operated by 50 educational institutions, with the aim of strengthening the safety of students during their commute.

The ninth initiative, ‘Sachetana’, will focus on public awareness and community participation through self-defence training, health education and awareness campaigns on women’s safety.

During the meeting, Chief Secretary Garg emphasised that efforts to improve women’s safety must also involve adolescent boys. She called for greater awareness of gender sensitivity, respectful behaviour towards women and social responsibility among young people.

The proposed plan requires coordination among several departments, including police, health, education, and women and child development, along with the local administration.

Health and Family Welfare Commissioner-cum-Secretary Aswathy S., School and Mass Education Commissioner-cum-Secretary N. Tirumala Naik, and Women and Child Development Commissioner-cum-Secretary Mrinalini Darswal were among the senior officials who participated in the meeting.

The nine proposals combine emergency response, surveillance, safer transport, public facilities and awareness programmes to address women’s safety concerns in Sambalpur. The initiatives are proposed under the Nirbhaya framework, with an estimated total outlay of Rs 10 crore.