New Delhi: In an unusual initiative, a group of transgenders on Tuesday had safety tips to offer to women in the national capital as they urged them to take precautions before boarding autorickshaws and cabs in the wake of the rape of a 27-year old woman allegedly by a cab driver.
They group called ‘Abhaya’ asked women commuters to click pictures of the driver and the registration number of the autorickshaws and taxis and send it to their destination at a busy intersection of Madhuban Chowk on Vikas Marg.
The group constituted by the Road Safety Committee (East district) also gave usual road safety tips which included lane driving, respecting zebra crossing, wearing seat belt and helmet. Wearing blue sarees, Abhaya members went to the motorists and educated them about how to put on a seat belt.
“A woman commuter boarding an auto was taken aback when a transgender stopped her and asked her to click the picture of the driver and the registration number and send it to her destination,” said a traveller.
They were also seen giving advice to bikers to avoid drunken driving.
“The aim is to ensure safety of road users and reducing casualties of pedestrians along with inculcating a sense of self discipline among the motorists. Also the idea is to help foster a more positive public image of transgenders,” said District Magistrate (east Delhi) Kunal.
The idea, he said, was borrowed from Surat and Mumbai to involve transgender community in regulating traffic and inculcating traffic sense among motorists, pedestrians and commuters. These trained Abhaya members will be stationed in key intersections of east Delhi between 3 pm and 8 pm daily.
As a pilot project, East district magistrate has hired eight transgenders from a non-profit organization, “Pahel” working for improvement of transgender community. Transgenders have been roped in by the Madhya Pradesh government in the Clean India campaign.