Thiruvananthapuram > Imagine a city, which offers an exclusive stretch for women, dotted with seating facilities, CCTV cameras, she-toilets, napkin vending machines and walls bearing paintings of success stories of women.
If everything goes as planned, the state capital will soon have such a model stretch where ladies can enjoy the 'safety' and 'women-friendliness' to the maximum. The City Corporation is preparing to set up a "She-Corridor" with all women-friendly features between the Government Women's College junction and the state-run Cottonhill Girls Higher Secondary School in Vazhuthacaud here.
The Women's College and Cottonhill School are two prestigious girls-only institutions located in the heart of the city.
Besides offering exclusive facilities for women, the objective of the initiative is also to highlight the safety and security of ladies in public places.
Deputy Mayor, Rakhi Ravikumar said the initiative is aimed at inculcating the feeling of safety in the minds of women-dwellers here.
"The objective of the project is to turn the state capital a model women-friendly city, giving priority to their safety. Women should feel free and safe in our city," Rakhi told PTI.
The corridor would have seating facilities for women on both sides of roads where they would be safe to spend any time as the entire stretch would be under the surveillance of CCTV cameras.
FM radio, she-toilet and napkin vending machines would be some of the other features to be included, she said.
Terming the 'she-corridor' as a 'women-empowerment' initiative, the deputy mayor said a total of Rs two crore had been earmarked for the project.
The tender process for the work of the Corridor project was completed and the construction would soon begin, she said adding that it was expected to be over this year itself.
An architect was entrusted with the task of designing the model corridor, she said.
Rakhi said the stretch would also be a tribute to the valuable contributions made by eminent women in various fields including politics, arts, cinema, social movement and so on.
The contributions and success saga of iconic women would be displayed as paintings on the walls along the stretch.
"There are lot of women who have fought for our rights. It will be great to remind our young generation about their fights through these paintings," she added.
The Corporation's 'she-corridor' initiative assumes significance in the backdrop of reports about the number of atrocities against women.
According to the state police crime bureau records, Thiruvananthapuram district has witnessed a total of 1,773 crime cases against women including 287 rapes last year.
Out of the total cases, 772 were molestation complaints, 40 eve teasing and 27 kidnapping and abduction, it said.
