HC directs DP to take safety measures for call centre girls

New Delhi, Jan 17 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today directed the State Police Commissioner to constitute a panel consisting of a top police official and a member each from the National Commission for Women (NCW), Call Centre Association and Transporters to look into the safety of women working in call centres, airlines and other related organisations functioning during the night.

Acting on a petition filed by Preeti Khanna, an airhostess with Sahara Airlines, a division bench headed by Chief Justice M K Sharma asked the Police Commissioner to study the measures enumerated in the petition and implement them for the safety of thousands of girls working during the night shifts in Delhi and adjoining towns of Gurgaon and NOIDA.

Preeti in her petition said if the authorities had taken safety measures, two girls employed in Bangalore call centres would not have been murdered last year.

The Delhi Police counsel submitted that the police had taken enough measures to ensure safety of the women working in these industries by framing a policy since early 2005.

Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Narender Khanna submitted that the police refused to install satellite monitoring instruments in the vehicles carrying employees of call centres and airlines.

The court directed Mr Khanna to meet the Police Commissioner for more details.

UNI