Chennai Metro Rail Sees Surge in Ridership, Boosts Womens Safety with Pink Squad!
Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has experienced a significant increase in passengers, particularly women, who find the metro a safer option compared to other city transport services.
To enhance ridership and ensure women`s safety, CMRL introduced the ‘Pink Squad’ in February. In the first phase, 23 women experts trained in martial arts and unarmed combat were deployed to patrol ladies-only coaches. However, since women also travel in general coaches, there are calls to extend the ‘Pink Squad’ to these areas.
The ‘Pink Squad’ initiative was launched following a safety survey involving 12,000 female travelers last June. The squad helps women report any incidents during their commute.
Despite the initiative, many women report challenges in crowded ladies’ compartments, prompting them to use general coaches, which are not regularly monitored by the ‘Pink Squad’. Commuters have urged CMRL to increase the squad`s presence in general coaches and stations.
“The ladies’ coaches are often too crowded, so I commute in general coaches,” said one woman. “It would help if the ‘Pink Squad’ monitored there as well.”
Krithi, a college student, added, “The presence of the ‘Pink Squad’ is very weak. They’re hardly seen most days. Once, a drunk man was peeking into the ladies’ coaches. Women didn’t want to confront him. It’s better to have the ‘Pink Squad’ during such incidents.”
