WCD minister Annapurna Devi blasts Mamata Banerjee in letter replying to Bengal CM's missive to PM Modi about 'women's safety'

New Delhi: Union minister for women and child development Annapurna Devi on Sunday wrote to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee asking her to speed up work on women safety schemes and projects. In a letter to the CM, Devi said that the state has not established emergency helplines such as the Women Helpline (WHL), Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) and the Child Helpline, and not taken any step to start over 11 pending fast track special courts in spite of a pendency of 48,600 rape and POCSO cases.

The WCD minister’s letter, came in reply to the Bengal CM’s letter to the prime minister last week, where she urged him to take steps to stop the deteriorating state of women safety in the country.

In her letter, dated August 25, the WCD minister said that Fast Track Special Courts were established for “expeditious trial and disposal” of cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and the Centrally Sponsored Scheme is on a 60:40 sharing basis.

She said that till June 30, 2024, 752 such courts, including 409 exclusive POCSO Courts, are functional in 30 states and UTs which have disposed of over 2,53,000 cases.

"Under the scheme, the State of West Bengal was allocated a total of 123 FTSCs, which included 20 exclusive POCSO Courts and 103 combined FTSCs dealing with both rape and POCSO Act cases. However, none of these courts had been operationalized till mid-June, 2023,” she wrote.

She added that in a letter on June 8, 2023, West Bengal communicated its willingness to participate in the scheme, committing to start 7 FTSCs. “Under the revised target, West Bengal has been allocated 17 FTSCs, of which only 6 exclusive POCSO Courts have been operationalized as of 30.06.2024. In spite of a pendency of 48,600 rape and POCSO cases in West Bengal, the State Government has not taken any steps to start the remaining 11 FTSCs,” she added.

She also said that the state of West Bengal cannot utilise the benefits of the emergency helplines since they, too, are not functional in the state.

“... you would agree that effective implementation of these provisions of law as well as various initiatives of the Central Government for women's safety falls in the ambit of the State Government. It is imperative that the State machinery is fully sensitised and geared up to take fullest advantage of the legal and schematic provisions,” she wrote.