Will make Delhi a safer place, assures Sheila Dikshit on Republic Day

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit promised that no stone will be left unturned to ensure safety of women in capital and said girls need not be scared after incidents like one on December 16.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday promised that no stone will be left unturned to ensure safety of women in the capital and said girls need not be scared or shaken after the incidents like the one on December 16 but should emerge stronger. After unfurling the tricolour as part of Delhi`s Republic Day celebrations here for the 15th consecutive time, the Chief Minister said, "I would like to tell our daughters that come out and study, hone your talents fearlessly, you don`t need to be scared of anybody.

"Our belief should not be shaken by such incidents but it must get stronger. The police have taken various steps to change their approach and I am sure that together we will be able to bring change," she said. Referring to the December 16 gang-rape of a paramedical student, she said the incident shook the conscience of the city. "But today I want to assure you all, especially our daughters, our sisters and our mothers that we will make this city a safer place. It`s our pledge and we will take every step to fulfill it," she said. At the function, various sportspersons who have brought laurels to the country were felicitated by the Delhi government. Wrestler Sushil Kumar who won a silver medal at 2012 London Olympics was awarded Rs two crore, while Yogeshwar Dutt, who also won a bronze medal at 2012 London Olympics was given Rs 1 crore. A relative of Dutt received the award on behalf of the wrestler. Cricketer Unmukt Chand, who was the skipper of India`s world cup winning Under-19 squad, was handed over a cheque of Rs 25 lakh by the Delhi CM. His team mate Vikas Mishra and swimmer Ramakaran got Rs 5 lakh each. Shushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt`s coaches, Satpal, Ramphal and Yashweer Singh, were handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh each. During her speech, Dikshit listed her government`s achievements and how she has been lucky to unfurl the tricolour for the 15th time in a row. "We are lucky to have been able to hoist the national flag on Republic Day for the 15th time in a row. And in the last 14 years we have tried our level best to fulfill every need of a citizen of Delhi, from roads, to health facilities and education to houses.... We have tried to reach out to everybody," said Dikshit. The chief minister discussed various efforts being made by her government to improve the traffic situation in the city. She promised to bring monorail to ease the traffic woes of Delhi. "Metro is already here, which we can see. Soon, we are going to start the monorail this year itself which will further ease the traffic situation in the city. We have bought thousands of buses and scores of people travel via these buses every day, but despite all this, we feel Delhi still lacks world-class transport facilities. "I`d like to assure you that the issue will be soon resolved, we will buy more buses and bring monorail to the capital. Metro services will also be expanded this year itself and all this will ensure cleaner, faster and safer city commuting," she said. The celebrations saw a parade by Delhi Police, Home Guards, NCC cadets, civil defence and children from various schools. Later a colourful cultural programme featuring folk dance performances and aerobics by children enthralled the crowd. PTI