Mahila Samiti that gives strength to women

NOIDA: Fed up of just sitting and waiting to get their basic needs fulfilled, a group of women from Greater Noida and Noida have decided to literally take charge. This group of women not only aims to set right civic problems, but also indulge in a host of social services for the residents of the district.
The Mahila Shakti Samajak Samiti comprises of mainly housewives who came together under their young president, Rupa Gupta.The Samiti started with just 5 women, but today the group boasts almost 200 members. In the age group of 20-60 years, they serve not only the Gautam Budh Nagar area but six other districts coming under the Meerut range. Barely four years old, the Samiti meets on the first Saturday of every month to solve problems, help the needy or take up cudgels with the officers of the development authorities. They also take a tough stance against police inaction where innocents are made to run around to get their complaints registered. With a Rs 20 per month collection as a donation, they try their best to set things right and have helped not only damsels in distress but also many a member from the opposite sex. The Samiti has also successfully addressed and sorted out matters related to starvation, children's education, drinking water and marital discord.
The Mahila Samiti often holds dharnas and shouts slogans at the offices of the district administrators and city managers. They protest against lack of proper provision of water, power, cleanliness, security and other infrastructure in the residential sectors of the cities. Quizzing Gupta about her group's activities, she says, "Though we pay service charges, power supply in many areas is erratic. We face long and unscheduled power cuts and despite repeated complaints no one bothers to address the woes of the citizens and so we protest."
Bina Shukla, another member of the group, says, "The green belts in many areas have turned into jungles since there is no one to look after them and snakes and other poisonous animals are abound in these areas. Moreover, the crime rate has risen in spite of the presence of security guards at the gates in Greater Noida as well as Noida. We only get hollow promises from the officers and nothing else. Our Samiti makes sure that we are heard and required action is taken by the officials,"
Priya Saxena, vice-president, says, "We want to make a difference to people's lives. We not only raise our voices against local issues, but also protest against larger issues effecting society at large."
Outlining their future plans, Gupta says, "We are organizing a week-long self-defence camp for women and young girls for which we will invite Tae-Kwon-Do experts to teach them." She adds, "We also teach women to develop their own income generation activity and help them develop an independent way of living." Another issue on these women's agenda is to help set up a facility for women are thrown out of their homes by their families and have nowhere to go.