Despite efforts of the Chandigarh Police to curb eve teasing, the menace apparently continues in the City Beautiful much to the nightmare of young girls and women.

"Me and my friend were on rickshaw and were returning from Sector 17, Plaza, two boys started following us on the bike. They had an eye on us since we were roaming in Sector 17. They were driving too close to our rickshaw, we could clearly notice their cheap gestures and we feared for our safety,'' Ananya Verma, 25, said.

The cases of catcalling, taunting, whistling, eve-teasing, eve-baiting (harassment of women by groups of men), etc are common, thus making women feel unsafe in Chandigarh.

A resident of Girl's hostel in Sector-32 said that a man in his late thirties used to follow her whenever she stepped out of the hostel with her friends for shopping or while going to college. He used to stare at them and passed lewd comments.

Passing obscene remarks, inappropriate gestures, infelicitous touching, have become common in crowded areas, sectors, markets, cinema halls and bus stops across the city. The situation becomes more grave after evening and during the night.

Drunken boys can be seen stalking women, playing loud music, booming car stereos and driving rashly, thus creating chaos and fear among women. Such situations have thus made it difficult for a woman to step out of her home but even seeking police help is not of much help.

''A number of cases of eve teasing and stalking are reported on a daily basis on our women helpline number 1091. But in most of the cases, the complainants withdraw their complaints fearing the long and worrisome procedure of investigation,'' said said sources at women helpdesk at Women Cell (Sector 17).

In most of the cases, women victims find it difficult to approach the police officials, so Chandigarh Police has introduced various Apps (mobile application) to solve this problem.

"There are various apps like 'Smart 24X7' Mobile Safety App launched by Chandigarh police to provide aid to the women in distress with just a press of a button after downloading the app in mobile phone. 'Pick and Drop Facility' is another initiative taken by Chandigarh police, in which pick and drop facility is provided to a woman through PCR vehicle between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. who wants to avail such facility may call the police control room numbers. Such measures are a way to greater awareness among women, which could protect lives,'' said deputy superintendent of police (DSP), women and child support unit, Anjitha Chepyala told The Statesman.

She said women and child support unit of Chandigarh Police organised a summer camp 'SWAYAM', a self defence training programme for girls/women of the city, in order to make them self dependent to face any unpredictable incident.

The DSP also assured to organise these programmes in various schools, colleges and working women institutions in near future.