The security at the Palika Bazar one of the city's only underground park-and-shop destinations assumes that it has no particular threat from the fairer sex.
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The security at the Palika Bazar one of the city's only underground park-and-shop destinationsu00a0assumes that it has no particular threat from the fairer sex.
The lady guards, who rarely show up at the entry to the market, have barely any training for the job and hardly any electronic devices to properly frisk women shoppers. There is no baggage scanner and most of the door-mounted metal detectors are often out of work. A very little number of close circuit television cameras are installed which are not sufficient to man the market.
The Delhi police said since the market comes under the jurisdiction of New Delhi Municipal Corporation the civic body is solely responsible for the security deployment.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) said, "The market comes under NDMC and the guards are employed by them. We have written to the NDMC about the matter and most probably they are working to increase CCTV cameras and X-Ray devices at the entry points".
The threat is very real. The market is a centre of activity and during daytime thousands of people throng the area. There is a park above the market and there is a huge parking, which serves as the central park-and-shop for those coming to the Connaught Place.
Anand Tiwari, official spokesperson for the NDMC said,u00a0 "We are bound to provide a proper security cover to the market. We are working on a programme for complete upgradation of the security to the market. However, I cannot give you any time deadline for that."
He said if guidelines pertaining to security were not conformed to by the market, measures will be reviewed and discussed afresh.
Even as shopkeepers association of palika bazaar was not available for comment, Praveen Khandelwal General Secretary Confederation of all India traders said, "We are ready to cooperate but the city administration is hardly serious over the issue."
He added that the traders are ready to cooperate financially but the administration has to come up with a proper blueprint of what it aims to do for enhancing security at the market.
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