LUCKNOW: Drunken men staring at her and passing lewd comments had become a daily affair for Monica Chauhan, an MSc student, at an underground parking lot in Gol Market. Scared, Chauhan stopped parking her vehicle in the slot.TOI, in a reality check, has found there are many women like Chauhan, who avoid parking vehicles at the designated lots because they were dingy and unsafe. Arti Srivastava, a teacher, said, “I used to park my car at Gol Market. Once I was out with my 22-year old daughter and got late... few men who were drinking in the lot tried to waylaid us. We somehow managed to drive out but decided never to park inside again.”Rimjhim Tiwari, a housewife, recalled how once it was so dark in the parking lot with no lights around that she had to search for her car using a mobile phone torch. Tanya, a bank aspirant, who had parked her vehicle outside a mall in Hazratganj , said she has often seen boys passing inappropriate comments at women. “Eve-teasing is frequent at these parking lots,” she added.In Aminabad, Sanjana Verma, a teacher, who faced harassment at a parking lot, said women don’t complain about such behaviour and instead avoid going there. She recalled how some boys playing cards inside the lot started making obscene gestures at her and her friend recently. They called the attendant but he was of no help. “Calling police would have created a scene, so we decided to leave but never parked vehicle in the lot again.”Sushmita Dixit, at a parking lot near polytechnic in Gomtinagar, said, “We need parking lots reserved for women with deployment of proper security.” SSP Lucknow Kalanidhi Naithani told TOI that he will call upon a meeting with private security agencies and would instruct them to act more professionally. “I will also brief police outposts to coordinate with parking lots and conduct a regular checking, be it in the basement or outer space ,” he added.

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