Sleepless in Gurgaon

PALLAVI PASRICHA / TNN / Aug 9, 2007, 00:35 IST

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It was Delhi’s golden suburb. But Gurgaon seems to be losing some of its sheen thanks to a crime wave. BPOs seem to be worst hit by a crisis of confidence.

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It was Delhi’s golden suburb. But Gurgaon seems to be losing some of its sheen thanks to a crime wave. BPOs seem to be worst hit by a crisis of confidence.

It was Delhi’s golden suburb. But Gurgaon seems to be losing some of its sheen thanks to a crime wave. BPOs seem to be worst hit by a crisis of confidence.It was Delhi’s golden suburb. But Gurgaon seems to be losing some of its sheen thanks to a crime wave. BPOs seem to be worst hit by a crisis of confidence.It was Delhi’s golden suburb. But Gurgaon seems to be losing some of its sheen thanks to a crime wave.BPOs seem to be worst hit by a crisis of confidence.It was Delhi’s golden suburb. But Gurgaon seems to be losing some of its sheen thanks to a crime wave. BPOs seem to be worst hit by a crisis of confidence.doweshowbellyad=0;

UNSAFE IN GURGAON: (TOI PHOTO)
It was Delhi’s golden suburb. But Gurgaon seems to be losing some of its sheen thanks to a crime wave. BPOs seem to be worst hit by a crisis of confidence.
Gurgaon has been in news for all the wrong reasons – carjacking, thefts, robberies, murders and rapes. Obviously, residents have been left scared.
Says Hari Chopra, member of DLF City RWA, “We have security guards who go around patrolling DLF City but that is not adequate because Gurgaon is a very open area.

Fences have been removed due to the construction of the Metro, so robbers can enter any time.” Neema Idnani, staying in Phase III, says, “When we shifted to Gurgaon we kept two dogs because the security situation was not too good here.”
Emcee Ramneek Pantal shifted to Noida from Gurgaon recently and feels safer there as compared to Gurgaon. She says, “Just before we shifted, we had a robbery in our society. This, when the area was patrolled round the clock. I feel better that I have shifted out.” People who stay there don’t feel safe leaving their kids alone at home.

Socialite Timsy Anand says, “I don’t feel safe at my own home. Traveling from the malls to home late at night is scary. Whenever I go out, I am constantly touching base to know if all’s well. I used to feel safer when I stayed in Delhi.”
Former cricketer Atul Wassan has been living in Gurgaon for the last 10 years. “It is scary to leave your wife and kids alone at home. I now have a 24-hour security guard. The police and RWAs should do something.”
The police commissioner of Gurgaon, Mahendra Lal, allays these fears. “There is no increase in the crime rate in Gurgaon over the last year. There have been robberies and thefts, but we have solved most of these. We have increased police patrolling and presence in various areas.” But do residents feel that way?
CRIME FILES:
August 2, 2007 - Top executive of a consultancy firm was abducted in Gurgaon. Hours after the disappearance, his car was found gutted near Convergys office on Delhi-
Gurgaon NH-8. The police is investigating the case.
July 30, 2007: In an instance of carjacking in front of the IBM office, armed robbers forced a man out of his car and robbed him of his valuables.
July 18, 2007 - Armed robbers decamped with cash and valuables after striking at the house of an NRI consulting engineer in DLF-III, Gurgaon. They also stabbed one.
June 29, 2007 - Burglars struck at seven different flats in Princeton Estate in DLF Phase-V. They decamped with cash and jewellery.
May 18, 2007 – Three members of a family were killed by their servant at Sector 23A of Gurgaon.
Jan 2, 2007 - A call centre cab driver physically assaulted a brother-sister duo at night near the Galleria market in Sushant Lok when they asked him to follow the traffic rules.
Guidelines provided by BPOs:
Women employees should stick in groups, and sit with other women in cabs.
Always carry important phone numbers e.g. police, employer, any relative or friend whom you can call in case of any emergency.
Avoid following regular pattern of coming in / going out of your workplace – change timings, route, place of parking etc. Remember, there may be miscreants watching your movement/activities.
Never carry ATM cards along with PIN.
Ensure that you do not lump all your valuables (credit cards, jewellery etc) and cash in one handbag. You can place your non-valuables such as comb, cosmetics etc in the handbag but place your identity card, credit cards and cash in another purse.
In case there is a problem of parking, because of which you have parked the vehicle far off, you should bring your vehicle nearer office before it gets dark.
Worried BPOs: About a decade ago, Gurgaon was the buzzword in Delhi. People who were loaded, people who were young and people who were looking for an oasis amidst the concrete madness that is Delhi – they were all moving to Gurgaon.
Its snazzy buildings that housed India’s hottest new sector – call centres – helped the matter too.
A few years down the line, the 91 call centres operating in Gurgaon employ thousands of youngsters, out of which 45 per cent are women.
Due to the unique timings in which call centres operate, both transport and timings are a major issue. After the recent carjacking at gunpoint outside the IBM Global Services office at Sector-18, IBM issued a set of guidelines to its employees clearly listing out the dos and don’ts while travelling to and from office.
The circular says that most victims of carjacking, loot and mugging are those returning home “late in the night especially in Gurgaon and adjoining areas”.
Others are planning to follow suit. Says Sam Chopra, president, Business Process Industry Association of India ( BPIAI), “We have noticed major incidents happening in the BPO sector situated in Gurgaon. Obviously, there is extreme anxiety in terms of safety. The ratio of safety issues is larger in the BPO industry as compared with other industries in Gurgaon. It's mainly because 95 per cent of people work in night shift at BPO centers.”
Agrees Vivek Mathur, site director, Dell, “There are challenges in Gurgaon but nothing that can’t be overcome with some careful planning. To start with, security needs to be more visible in Gurgaon.”
But are the advisories offered by various BPOs of any help? Answers a call centre executive on the condition of anonymity, “The guidelines say carry two purses so that a miscreant is confused or never carry your ATM card with your pin number.
Such safety guidelines are neither feasible or practical. Also, there are guidelines that women should be given self-defence training, but none of the call centres do so.”

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