Nurture children with love, make them responsible citizens

Chandigarh is not safe for women anymore. It is the responsibility of parents to keep their children grounded rather than providing them luxury cars. Once given luxurious life, they have nothing more to long for and other things will flow automatically. Schools should hold compulsory moral science classes so that they may be able to differentiate between the right and wrong. Boys should be taught to remain focused on their future. The behaviour of children shows their upbringing and lineage. Reading culture should be encouraged so that youngsters aspire to become good human beings.

Opinder Kaur Sekhon Chandigarh

---

Give children time, love 

Disintegration of the joint family system is taking a serious toll on children, who are left under the care of maids at a tender age and are deprived of the love they need the most. An easy access to everything makes them arrogant and insensitive. Parents never know what the child is going through. Hence, parents need to improve themselves. They have to win their hearts with relentless support and love. Give them a patient hearing and respect their suggestions, it will go a long way in making them responsible persons.

Veena Mahajan, Chandigarh

---

Educate both boys and girls

Educate both boys and girls. Girls should be made tough physically and mentally. They should be treated equally at home. On stalking and such acts, there is a need to sensitise children through seminars, lectures and plays. Poster campaigns are the most potent way to spread the message. Culprits in such cases should be dealt with sternly. Create fear of the law in minds of stalkers.

Bharat Bhushan Sharma

---

Step up security

The recent high-profile stalking case involving the daughter of a senior bureaucrat and son of a political bigwig has debunked the claims of the UT Administration that it is well-equipped to tackle the crime against women at any given point of time. However, the ground realities are poles apart.  Rising crime against women paints a dismal picture of the shaky law and order mechanism in the city. Chandigarh can be made safe for women if stringent measures are put in place to tackle the problem. Vulnerable spots need to be identified and the presence of the police should be improved. VIP offenders are required to be treated on par with others. Night patrolling needs to be augmented as most of the city women are performing night duties. Stringent laws and their strictest implementation can also help check the crime against women. 

Ramesh K Dhiman, Chandigarh

---

Be strict with culprits

The safety of women in the city is matter of concern. Rapists should be hanged. Random patrolling by the police in the parks is need of the hour and structures at isolated locations should be demolished. Trimming of trees and other thick hedges for a clear vision may help stop such incident.

Sukhpal Singh

---

Launch awareness campaign

Mixing of drinking and driving should be checked and strict action should be taken against the violators. An awareness campaign be launched by the police and NGOs at educational institutions to desist students from indulging in such crimes. Parents and the authorities at educational institutions should keep a watch  on activities of children and guide them to stay away from such activities. NGOs fighting for  the cause of women should come forward for the moral support of the victim and help them get justice. The judiciary should also take a suo moto notice of such incidents and pull up the authorities concerned for timely action.

AS Ahuja, Chandigarh

---

Introspect, be responsive 

Hardly the dust had settled on the high-profile stalking and abduction incident of August 5, a minor school girl was raped in a broad day light on August 15 in Sector 23 of the city. Being the Independence Day, the city was on a high alert and under surveillance of the security forces, still such a dastardly act took place and till date the culprit has not been nabbed. The act is an evidence of the effectiveness of the police force, which have to play a more responsive role to deal with the lawlessness and anti-social activities. The need of the hour is to introspect and see where we have gone wrong in upbringing. Parents and educational institutions must sensitise children to crime against women. The accused should be tried by fast-track courts and an exemplary punishment should be given to them. 

SS Arora, Mohali

---

Inculcate values among youth

With the prevailing hooliganism in the tricity, the position of women has become more and more vulnerable. This is the joint responsibility of parents and that of teachers at the school and colleges to inculcate good moral values among the youth so that they behave responsibly in society. Girls should be given martial training. The police should organise seminars and Women Safety Week programmes besides telling about the ways to tackle the crime against women. The influential section of the tricity should understand this common problem and come forward to thwart such unpleasant incidents.

Bhupinder S Sealopal, Mohali

---

Make women self-reliant 

The best protection a woman can have is courage. Schools and colleges need to open workshops where students learn essential mental and physical skills that help protect them from criminals. The police should sponsor training to to prevent rapes. The tourism industry should respond to security needs of a woman.

Ajit Singh, Rankin, Windsor (Canada)

---

Act tough against criminals

The city is not at all safe for women. The crime against women is on the rise. Nothing can be more embarrassing than the rape of a 12-year-old schoolgirl at knife point on the Independence Day. These incidents have dented the image of the city and the UT police. To stop such crimes, is important to inculcate the fear of the law among criminals.  They should be booked under non-bailable sections. All cars, taxis and auto-rickshaws used by women must have the GPS. There is a need to sensitise the youth at the school and college-level about it. Girls should learn self-defence techniques. Driving on deserted roads should be avoided. 

Vidya Sagar Garg, Panchkula

---

Teach children how to behave in society

In my opinion, we should study the root cause of the  problem.  At the first stage, parents should teach their children as how to  live in a society. The next stage comes to schools and colleges. There should be a separate class in a week to teach children  as to how to live in a society with dignity.

 Tarlok Singh, Mani Majra

---

Plug security loopholes

There is no exaggeration in saying that the women in Chandigarh are comparatively safe and secure. There may be a few loopholes in the system, which can be plugged. More CCTV cameras with quality pictures be installed and the authorities must ensure that these work 24x7. Special courts to address  grievances of women should be set up. Martial art and self-defence techniques should be taught in every school. Sociologists, psychologists and counsellors may channelise energies of the youth to in the right direction. Intensive police patrolling is also needed.

Harish Kapur, Chandigarh

---

City equipped to deal with crime against women  

Chandigarh is comparatively better equipped to ensure safe travel for lonely women at night. The recent  stalking incident drew the nationwide attention because  it  had  a political  angle and a  spicy story too. Good  to see the  policemen being rewarded for answering the call of duty at  midnight.  However, the  UT police  must learn a lesson  and ensure  round-the-clock functioning  of all CCTV cameras, particularly at  vulnerable locations.

SC Luthra, Chandigarh

---

Teach boys to be courteous 

Apart from teaching boys to be courteous with girls, parents should take steps to make girls mentally and physically stronger to take on street Romeos head on. Schools and colleges should hold special lectures on women’s safety during physical training sessions in the morning.

RK Kapoor, Chandigarh

---

Educational institutes need to be pro-active

The safety for women means that they be able to work and move freely in the city like men, at any time, any place, in any dress, individually or in groups. But that’s not so in Chandigarh or the tricity. Eve-teasing, even molestation are in-built in our society. That demeaning ethos has to be changed. School, colleges and university students besides teachers should form teams to create awareness on the issue and offer help to women in distress.

Tejinder Singh Kalra, Mohali

---

Make women’s safety part of curricula 

It is a fact that the women in the city are not completely safe.  A majority of cases involving the crime against women go unreported. A radical campaign against such incidents is the need of the hour. Education and counselling sessions on this topic should be a part of the school and college curricula. Imparting knowledge about legal provisions should be followed by their strict implementation.

Mehul Arora, Patiala

---

Change in mindset needed

Women are teased, stalked, molested, kidnapped and raped across the nation and Chandigarh is not an exception. According to a UN report, 77 per cent Indian teenage girls are subjected to sexual violence. At the same time, the conviction rate in rape cases is just 26.4 per cent. Under this extenuated position, besides better policing and implementation of the laws in letter and spirit, society has to come forward to check this heinous crime. A change of mindset is essential and the men must believe that the progress of society is not possible without it.

SK Khosla, Chandigarh   

---

OPEN HOUSE COMMENT

Make women self-reliant, punish culprits .

Nitin Jain

IT will be only apt to say that stalking, molestation, harassment and attempts at outraging modesty are the ordeals the fair sex in Chandigarh faces almost on a daily basis. Be it an educational institution, workplace, public place, neighbourhood or sometimes even at one’s own place, they are tormented and traumatised. What is objectionable, what is a bad touch, how much one should bear, how to react in case the harassment becomes intolerable and where and how to report such cases are the questions that stare a majority of the victims of crime against women in the face.

The victims, mostly young ones, remain shy and seldom muster courage to discuss their ordeal with even their parents. The educational institutions too have no such system in place to sensitise the youngsters to crimes against women. Not that such cases did not occur and were not reported in the past but the recent high-profile stalking and attempt to abduct Varnika Kundu, the daughter of an Additional Chief Secretary-rank IAS officer of Haryana by Vikas Barala, son of Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala, and his friend, has only raised concern over the safety and security of women in Chandigarh.

The conduct of the police in such matters leaves a lot to be desired. Instead of reacting promptly and effectively against the perpetrators of crime against women, waffling and wobbling puts a question mark on the credibility and professionalism of the police besides shaking the confidence of victims in the system.

The spurt in crime against women has been underscored by the incident of a Class VIII student being waylaid when she was on her way to participate in an Independence Day function and raped at knifepoint during in broad daylight at the police-manned Children Traffic Park. Not only this, at least two other young girls were chased, harassed and escaped abduction bid on the busy city roads during the past week.

Keeping in view the increasing sense of insecurity among the   women in the city, it would be of great help if the UT police join hands with the Education Department and start making youngsters wise on the crimes against women at school, college and university levels.

Sensitise the youth about what is good and bad, build confidence in them to report all such matters immediately and train the fair sex in self-defence. It may help save the bad situation from turning worse. Also, the police may devise a mechanism which may not require victims of crime against women to visit the police station. Let it be at the discretion of the victim how and where she feels comfortable to report such matters.

Needless to emphasise that the police force need to rise above all “pulls and pressures” to ensure exemplary punishment to those who dare commit crimes against women. This will help restore a sense of safety and security in the fair sex in Chandigarh and instil in them the confidence to stand up to sexual predators.   

---

OPEN HOUSE QUESTION

After keeping re-fixing of conversion charges in abeyance for almost four years, the UT Administration has now finally got a formal nod from the Centre to convert leasehold residential properties into freehold. As per official records, only 15 to 20 per cent residential properties are on leasehold. The entire commercial and industrial property in the city is still on leasehold, awaiting conversion to freehold. Should all types of property in Chandigarh be allowed conversion from leasehold to freehold?  Send your comments in not more than 70 words at [email protected]