Young women working in night shifts in India can be more relaxed now. And their parents too. A software that can track the movement of the vehicles ferrying the employees has been developed.
As more and more young women join the business process outsourcing (BPO) firms that work in the nights, to suit the requirements of their clients abroad, they seem to be becoming vulnerable to anti-social elements too. Rapes and killings are reported from various parts of the country.
The firms hire cars to pick up their employees from their homes and drop them back, but the cab drivers are themselves seen as a threat to the safety of the girls.
It is in that context the new software could come in handy. It will track the car carrying the woman by linking her mobile phone with a central server. The parent's mobile phone can also be linked to the system, which will alert the office and the girl's home if the vehicle deviates from its route.
A top official of the service provider in Kolkata in eastern India said, ''We have already received a positive response from BPO units in Bangalore and Chennai. Now it's Kolkata's turn. We have installed the software in five BPO units in Bangalore. We're now having talks with the bigger BPO units in Kolkata.''
The official further said, ''Our company has tied up with VTS software which is providing a backup for this system of tracking down vehicles.''