The authorities in New Town have started mapping places that are empty but have a number of people who use the stretches every day to ride cycles, play or walk.
There are many such areas in the township. Some of the popular ones include large expanses of fields and wide roads behind Eco Park, the road behind the park that leads towards Derozio College and the area in front of New Town Coffee House opposite the Amity University campus.
A senior official of the Newtown Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) said they would install more CCTV cameras on these stretches and have asked police for inputs to ensure the safety of commuters.The move comes after a 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and her friend beaten up by three men on a deserted stretch behind Eco Park.
A senior officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate they have asked all three police stations in New Town to prepare a list of such places in their jurisdiction and to check if there were adequate CCTV cameras.
New Town has a network of 535 CCTV cameras that are installed along the Major Arterial Road (MAR) — a 10.5km long road that connects the township with Salt Lake on one end and the airport on the other. Cameras have also been placed near major shopping malls, community markets and inside blocks, an NKDA official said.
In addition to this, 300 CCTV cameras have been sourced and will be placed at strategic locations around the three action areas of New Town, the official added.NKDA chairman Debashis Sen said that they would install cameras in these places following inputs from the police.
“It is an extremely unfortunate incident. Installation of cameras requires an expense and we are open to placing cameras in any of these places following inputs from the police,” said Sen.
Samaresh Das, chairman of the New Town Forum and News, a residents’ body in New Town, said that CCTV cameras were needed across New Town. “This place developing extremely fast and is spread over a vast area. The township has several places with large open fields and well-paved wide roads with very light traffic. These areas have become popular destinations for cycling enthusiasts and youngsters. They go to play and people often shoot videos or take photographs for their social media accounts in the fields of the township,” said Das.
“The authorities must ensure the safety of residents and visitors to New Town. CCTV cameras not only help track unlawful activities but mischief mongers often refrain from committing any nuisance if cameras are present,” said Das.
The stretch behind Eco Park where a teenage girl was sexually assaulted earlier this week.
On Monday evening, a 15-year-old girl who was out for a bicycle ride with her friend was allegedly stalked, chased and sexually assaulted by three men on a field a stone’s throw from Eco Park in New Town. One of the men used to be a part-time driver of a police jeep in New Town. The other two earned a living by doing odd jobs. The men allegedly video recorded the girl and threatened her with dire consequences if she told anyone about the assault.Her friend was allegedly beaten up and robbed of his phone.
Crimes against women are not uncommon in New Town, which still gets deserted after dark aside from passing cars and motorbikes.
A field near Eco Park where residents play.
Last year in August, a 33-year-old man with criminal antecedents was arrested for allegedly harassing an 18-year-old girl riding home on a scooter with her 12-year-old brother on the pillion in New Town.
In December 2020, four men allegedly raped a 17-year-old girl behind Eco Park. The girl was out on an evening walk with a friend when the men allegedly assaulted the friend and took turns to rape the girl.