Women and Child development Minister, Annapurna Devi has criticised the Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal government for ensuring the safety of women. In a three page letter addressed to Mamata Banerjee, the Union minister criticised the state’s inaction in establishing fast track courts etc.
She said that despite a backlog of of 48,600 rape and POSCO cases, the state has not been taking steps to establish fast track courts. She said, ” West Bengal has been allocated 17 FTSC’s under the revised target but only 6 exclusive POSCO Courts were operational as of June 30, 2024.” Earlier, Mamata Banerjee had written a letter to PM Modi, seeking central legislation and establishment of FSTC’S. Referring to her letter, Annapurna Devi, stated, “752 FSTC’s, including 409 exclusive POSCO Courts, are currently functional in 30 states/UT’s.” They have disposed over 2,53,000 cases as on June 30, 2024.
State’s Failure?
The Union Minister highlighted the state’s failure in fully operationalizing the FSTC’s in Bengal. The government launched the FSTC scheme in 2019 to tackle the backlog of rape and POSCO cases. As part of this scheme, West Bengal was assigned 123 courts, with 20 courts specifically designated for POSCO cases and 103 combined courts. However, “none of these courts had been operationalised as of mid-June 2023,” she said.
She also expressed her concern over the state’s inability to integrate and operationalize key emergency helplines. Such as the Women Helpline, the Emergency Response Support System and Child Helpline etc. The minister, highlighted the importance of these services in providing immediate support to the victims. She then pointed out the fact that despite repeated reminders from the central government, West Bengal is yet to integrate them.
In the end Annapurna Devi expressed her concerns and her condolences especially in the light of the heinous rape and murder case. She urged Chief minister Mamata Banerjee to take steps towards eliminating all forms of atrocities and crimes against women by creating a safe and secure ecosystem.
