The event will be held on Ajmal Khan Road, which has been completely pedestrianised, after 9 pm till midnight.
The North Corporation has tied up with The Raahgiri Foundation, Centre for Green Mobility, Jagori and Safetipin apart from other stakeholders for the event.(Sanchit Khanna/HT file)
In a first-of-its-kind initiative to promote women safety at night, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation along with several civil society groups is planning to hold ‘Night Raahgiri’ in Karol Bagh. Though the date for the event is yet to be finalised, it is likely to be held on a weekend either in June-end or July first week.
The event will be held on Ajmal Khan Road, which has been completely pedestrianised, after 9 pm till midnight. The North Corporation has tied up with The Raahgiri Foundation, Centre for Green Mobility, Jagori and Safetipin apart from other stakeholders for the event.
This is for the second time that the north corporation will be holding a Raahgiri event after a gap of almost five years. It had held Raahgiri Day in Chandni Chowk main market in 2014. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which was the first civic agency in the city to start Raahgiri Day in Connaught Place in 2013, revived the event last month after a hiatus of two years. HT is the media partner for Raahgiri Day organised by NDMC at Connaught Place. The civic body now plans to experiment with complete pedestrianisation of Inner Circle of Connaught Place.
Varsha Joshi, commissioner North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said there are plans to do some activities on revamped Ajmal Khan Road in Karol Bagh market to promote women safety at night.“We want to make public space safe and attractive for everyone. Apart from revamping the area we want to do some activities to promote this (women safety) spirit,” she said.
The idea is to make the street more vibrant and lively by planning activities centered around women in a bid to increase women participation and encourage them to reclaim the streets at night. From live music to singing competitions to street food, there will be a number of activities.
Anuj Malhotra, knowledge partner to ministry of home affairs, said ever since the pedesrianisation of Ajmal Khan Road, it was noticed that there were more men than women who used it after the market was shut. “The idea is to make the street friendly for women so that they feel safe to late in the night. There are a lot of residential areas around Ajmal Khan Road. And it would be ideal to have a space where families and women feel comfortable about their neighbourhood. We are holding discussions with resident welfare associations and other stakeholders,” said Malhotra.
After success of Raahgiri events across 70-plus cities in the country, a similar event at night is a step towards helping women reclaim the streets after sundown.
“A large number of women in Delhi are not used to being out at night. Initiatives like these will help women step out of their homes and freely walk on the streets after sunset. The idea is to let women reclaim public space,” said Kalpana Viswanath, co-founder and CEO, Safetipin.
To ensure women safety, especially at night, experts stress on the need for more eyes on the streets. Sarika Panda Bhatt, co-founder The Raahgiri Foundation and executive director Naggaro, said, “We plan to have street food stalls, live music, activities and elements in which women can participate during the night Raahgiri. Ajmal Khan Road is a busy market but there are no street food vendors and very limited options to eat out. This is one of the reasons the place is frequented by very few women during evening hours or after the market is closed. We plan to hold the event from 9pm till midnight.”
