MANSI BHAMBRI/Dehradun
The Pink Booth in Paltan Bazaar, set up to ensure women’s safety, is now lying defunct, being used to park vehicles. Venting anguish over the matter, the shoppers said that with no police personnel deployed, it has turned into a space for parking two-wheelers besides being used by the street vendors.
Notably, the booth was set up in the heart of the market under the direction of the district magistrate to enhance women’s security. “However, it has become non-functional soon enough due to the absence of police deployment. It is now being misused, defeating the very purpose for which it was set up,” lamented the shoppers. Queried over it, the Doon Valley Mahanagar Udyog Vyapar Mandal (DVMUVM) said that they would approach the senior superintendent of police, Dehradun soon to get the booth regularised permanently.
Things are worrisome because this is not the first time that the issue has been flagged. The Pioneer had earlier highlighted the same problem and after it had been taken up with the SSP, police deployment had been done. But once again, the booth stands abandoned.
Shopper Monika Khatri, a frequent visitor to Paltan Bazaar, expressed her concerns: “Every time I visit the market, I find the pink booth, which was installed for the safety of women, abandoned, shorn of police presence. It appears to be just for show. Now it has become a space for parking two-wheelers. The authorities must remove the Pink Booth altogether, or else must regularise it through deployment of police personnel.”
Another shopper, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “With the non-functioning of the pink booth, it is being misused for parking vehicles. This is leading to traffic congestion at that particular spot, creating obstacles for shoppers like us. The authorities must take a closer look at this matter.”
Many other shoppers echoed similar views and demanded the authority’s intervention.
In response, DVMUVM president Pankaj Mason acknowledged that it is an issue of concern. He stated that many shopkeepers have also raised the same concerns about the non-functioning pink booth with him recently. “The pink booth has turned out to be a failure. The authorities should permanently regularise this booth to prevent any unfortunate incidents in the market.
Taking things seriously, we plan to approach the SSP, Dehradun soon for the permanent regularisation of the pink booth. Additionally, I will also suggest to the SSP that instead of just deploying one female police personnel at the booth, an additional male police officer should also be assigned to ensure safety,” he said.
