100 Dhaka buses get CCTV cameras for the safety of women

To ensure women’s safety, CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras have been installed in 100 buses in Dhaka.

The buses are of Poristhan Paribahan, Rajdhani Super Service, Prajapati Paribahan, Basumati Paribahan and Gabtoli Express, reports Bangla Tribune.

Ministry of Women and Children Affairs has taken this initiative with financial assistance from DIPTO: A Foundation for Gender and Development.

State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Fazilatun Nessa Indira inaugurated buses through a program held in Dhaka’s Mirpur on Sunday.

Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka Tribune

She said that the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman launched the first two buses for women in 1973 to enable them to participate in social, political and development activities.

“Now his daughter Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has been working for the safety of women,” she added.

“Women will be equal partners of men in making Bangladesh as a developed country by 2041. For that, we have to make public transport safe for them. Through this initiative, it will be easier to identify the criminals and bring them to justice,” the state minister added.

Commenting that women are harassed by bus attendants as well as by male passengers, the state minister said not only Bangladesh, but the same picture is seen in neighboring India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

Zakia K Hasan, executive director of DIPTO said: “We took initiative for this project on January 9, 2018. We spent Tk2.63 crore on this project.”