In a first in Punjab, the Ludhiana police on Sunday launched a free-ride scheme under which any woman who is alone and unable to find a ride home will be dropped home by a police vehicle at no cost.

Women can call police helpline numbers and request for a vehicle. The women will then be dropped at their destinations by nearby Police Control Room(PCR) vehicle or Station House Officer(SHO) vehicles. The free-of-cost service will be available from 10 pm to 6 am on all days.

“We have started many programs to ensure safety and security of women in Ludhiana. We have two dedicated helpline numbers — ‘1091’ and ‘7837018555’ — for this. They work 24×7. Women can dial these to get a free ride to their home in Ludhiana,” Rakesh Agrawal, Commissioner of Police was quoted in The Indian Express.

The helpline numbers can also be used for reporting any abuse of students and for counselling of school students.

“We have launched the Shakti app whereby women can get police help at the click of a button. The app has SOS features and at the touch of one button, your 10 contacts are updated about your location with SOS help message and location is immediately shared with the nearest PCR,” added Agrawal.

The Shakti app is available on Play Store. The Commissioner also added that they have installed the app in the phones of more than 2,500 women in the last month.

The Ludhiana police had also organized several seminars in schools and colleges on self-defence for girls as well as tips to avoid-eve-teasing.

The police’s initiative comes at a time when a Hyderabad vet was gang-raped and murdered on the outskirts of Hyderabad. 

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