Bengaluru: Karnataka will be the first State to install panic buttons on its Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses for women passengers in case of emergency.

The facility will be on 2,000 buses plying in and around Bengaluru, along with closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) and GPS units.
 
KSRTC managing director Rajender Kumar Kataria said that the panic button will alert the central control rooms in the satellite bus stand, which will help control room staff alert the nearest police station for action.

The State is awaiting the release of Rs 61.32 crore it sought from the Centre under the Nirbhaya fund.

KSRTC had sent a detailed, 21-page proposal to the Centre in the first week of April which demanded for enhancing safety and security of women and girl children in buses, bus stands and also in KSRTC’s workplaces and like exclusive lounges for women at bus stations.
 
Women have hailed the move and said the efficiency of the panic buttons will be known after they are installed.