Panic button in autos defunct

New Delhi: Azad Bharatam, a newly formed political party, on Tuesday claimed that the panic buttons installed in Delhi auto-rickshaws by the city government were not functioning.

Rakesh Agarwal, Founder of Azad Bharatam, told the media that every promise made by the AAP on the issue of women security had turned out to be a farce. "The same happened with panic buttons as well. A panic button is a button which a woman can press if she feels her life is in danger," he said.

The button is red in colour and can be seen on the GPS integrated fare meter fitted in autos and taxis since 2012. "But, the GPS Scheme itself is a downright scam. Most GPS devices are not working," he added.

He said the panic button was supposed to be connected to a high-decibel hooter in order to alert passers-by. "Most vehicles simply do not have the hooter. And even if it is installed, it doesn''t work.

"The panic button is merely a showpiece that the government flaunts from time to time to polish its image and to claim undeserved credit. Evidently, the AAP government has made women security as a pivotal point for its electoral strategy," the Agarwal added.

"If a passenger in distress presses the panic button, nothing happens. There is no connectivity or coordination with the police, so no distress signal goes out to the police and no help reaches her," he added. No immediate reaction was made available by the Delhi government.