Andhra CM to write to PM again on Hyderabad surveillance system

In the wake of the shocking rape of a techie by two cab drivers last week, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy has decided to write again to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a comprehensive surveillance system for Hyderabad.

The state government has already proposed to set up integrated surveillance camera system by installing 5,000 cameras.

The chief minister directed the chief secretary to constitute a committee to suggest immediate measures and a long-term plan for the safety of women employees in IT companies.

The proposed measures include installation and continuous monitoring of the closed circuit camera system, visible policing, increasing check-posts in IT corridors, policing on Outer Ring Road (ORR), barricading, vehicle checking, controlling and monitoring of cabs and autorickshaws, increasing of public transport, electronic toll-gate management, and survey of working women hostels.

The chief minister, who reviewed the safety measures for women IT employees, said safety of the women employees was the top priority of the government.

Two cab drivers kidnapped a 22-year-old software engineer when she was waiting for an autorickshaw in Cyberabad, the IT district, to reach hostel. They took her to a deserted area on the outskirts and raped her.

Kiran Reddy directed police to step up safety measures in all the IT corridors, ORR, and surroundings of Cyberabad and Gachibowli, particularly for the women employees on night shifts.

The chief minister also decided to set up fast track courts to try rape cases including the latest incident in Cyberabad.