New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Tuesday launched its first public assistance booth at Rajiv Chowk Metro station with plans afoot to provide a similar facility at other Metro stations in the city.
"Rajiv Chowk is the busiest Metro station with around 6 lakh commuters using it every day. The assistance booth will help commuters in case they are pick pocketed or they misplace their belongings," Commissioner of Police BS Bassi told reporters after inaugurating the booth.
Bassi said that two to three police personnel will be deployed at the booth throughout the day.
"Women constables will also be deployed at the booth from time to time. The booth will bridge the gap between the people and police," he said. Bassi also instructed to install a computer at the booth so that complaints of loss of property can be lodged online from the booth itself.
According to police the initiative was taken because unlike territorial Police Station, the jurisdiction of a Metro Police Station is spread over a long distance. The total distance between Rajiv Chowk Metro Station and Sector -21 Dwarka Metro Station of Police Station Raja Garden Metro is about 32 Km.
"The average time taken from police station to reach a Metro Station is about half an hour. Hence, it was essential to have the presence of police personnel at the visible and designated point at Metro Station itself where a complainant could approach the police. "Thus the staff of Delhi Police would now be available at a designated place at Rajeev Chowk Metro Station itself," said a senior police official.
DMRC managing director Manju Singh said that such booths would soon come up at other Metro stations like Kashmiri Gate, Dilshad Garden, Chandni Chowk, Kirti Nagar, Shahdara, Inderlok, Vishwavidyalaya, AIIMS, Central Secretariat, Pragati Maidan, Karkarduma, Nehru Palace and Dhaula Kaun.
Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) MK Meena said that every SHO has been asked to travel on the Delhi Metro and to visit stations in his area so that he can be familiar of it and it can also generate a sense of safety among the commuters.