Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala police has launched a special project titled ‘Nirbhaya Nisha’ to enhance the safety of women who rely on public transport at night.

The scheme is aimed at women travelling between 9 pm and 5 am using public transport. It will be implemented by coordinating existing systems such as the Emergency Response and Support System (ERSS), the SOS button on the Kerala Police ‘Pol-App’, the 112 helpline, district control rooms, highway patrol units and Pink Patrol vehicles. The project will be rolled out in all districts on March 8, International Women’s Day.

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As part of the initiative, ‘Nirbhaya Nisha’ safety poles equipped with AI cameras, alarms and panic buttons will be installed in busy urban areas with high female commuter traffic. The poles will also have facial recognition systems to help identify offenders. Officials said the panic button-enabled poles will enable faster police response during emergencies.

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The state-level inauguration of the project will be held at 11 am on Tuesday at the Police Training College, Thycaud, and will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.