CCTVs in buses don't ensure women's safety: Maneka Gandhi

Union Minister Maneka Gandhi today said installing CCTVs in buses is not effective in preventing incidents of molestation and ensuring women's safety.

The minister made the remarks while talking about the utilisation of Nirbhaya Fund for safety of women, which was created after the infamous December 2012 gangrape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student paramedic student inside a bus in Delhi.

"CCTVs are a fixed thing. Nobody is going to come and rape some woman right in front of a CCTV. Secondly, it won't last three days. Thirdly, rapes don't take place in crowded buses but molestations do take place.

"When it is a crowded place, therefore, you have people trying to put their hands in women's jeans, inside a sari, touching you, poking their elbow in your breasts. Horrible things happen, none of which can be spotted or deciphered by a CCTV," Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD) Maneka Gandhi said at a media briefing.

She said that a CCTV project was earlier implemented for Rajasthan State Tourism buses, but it turned out to be a "dud".

"Millions of people sit in buses, how do we catch them? Let us do what we can do," Gandhi said emphasising that she is open to new ideas that will improve safety for women.

"WCD is using the Nirbhaya fund where I find it will make a difference to women. I will do what is possible for me to do," she said

The minister said that the Centre has received some bizarre requests such as Karnataka government seeking financial aid through Nirbhaya Fund for sofas at bus stops for women commuters.

The Nirbhaya Fund was created in 2013. A sum of Rs 3,100 crore has been set aside for it between 2013 and 2017. Another Rs 500 crore has been allocated to it for the next financial year.