1 September 2013
A majority of Delhi’s residents were satisfied with the quality of life in the national capital but at the same time a large percentage of them felt unsafe, a latest report released on Saturday said.
According to the Delhi Human Development Report 2013 that chronicles issues regarding human development in the city, 75 % people said they were satisfied with the quality of life. 38 % of Delhiites felt unsafe in the city.
“The issue of safety and security of citizens has been agitating the public mind in recent times. The deficit in terms of a real and perceived lack of safety and security in public spaces affects the daily lives of all citizens, especially women, children and seniors,” said Vice-President Hamid Ansari after releasing the report.
Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit was present at the function.
Women felt most unsafe while using public transport, the report said. The public perception survey undertaken in January a month after the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi in a moving bus also pointed out that buses were the worst type of public transport in terms of security.
“Women felt buses were the worst type of public transport in terms of safety, since they were harassed by both the young and old, illiterate and educated men,” stated the report.
The report pointed out that women felt most safe within their localities as opposed to when they were at their workplace or while using public transport.
Unlit stretches, public toilets and parks were considered to be most unsafe as incidents of chain-snatching and sexual harassment were rampant at these places.
The perception survey indicated that people were of the opinion that crime had increased over a period of time. Almost 95 per cent of the people agreed that crime had seen a jump in the last three years.
The survey said areas around alcohol shops and gambling dens were perceived to be very unsafe. Dark spaces such as parks were considered and susceptible to crimes, especially against women.
“Apart from women, children are most vulnerable in the city while it is mostly men and unemployed youth who commit crimes,” the report stated.
The report underlined the need to focus on reducing inequalities through greater formalisation, universalisation of social security, economic enhancement of women and improvement in the quality of services to achieve greater progress on the human development front.
Published by: Hindustan Times