A woman to the caller on the other end of phone line says “Namaskar, mukhyamantri mahila sahyog sewa mein aapka swagat hai. Apni samasya batayein,” and she is busy attending to distress calls on the Delhi Commission for Women’s 181 helpline during the night shift.
This helpline is close to the offices of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his staff where most of these women support their families, some of them are even sole breadwinners and the night shift suits many of them. A staffer has told that if anyone faces a problem, or there is tension at home or work, they help each other.
Meanwhile one of them giggles, her friend reveals that they also get prank calls and they do get random calls. Some callers are just bored and they also tell them it is not right and then they get complaints about a couple fighting in the neighborhood.
It is said that the call centre works in three shifts 8 am to 4 pm, 4 pm to 12 am and 12 am to 8 am and the night shift has fewer staff as, officials believe, there are few calls at night, and previously social activists used to head the 181 service, which was under the chief minister and currently it is headed by the DCW.
