The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate on Thursday inducted 246 lady Special Police Officers (SPOs) to deal with cases of harassment of women in the twin cities.
The lady SPOs comprise college girls, IT and call centre employees who volunteered to join on non-salaried basis, officials said.
"They will be eyes and ears of police and deal with sexual harassment of women at work places and report about eve teasing incidents on the streets," said Sudhansu Sarangi, Commissioner of BhubaneswarCuttack Police Commissionerate.
Sarangi said in some cases, the lady SPOs can even arrest the accused if necessary.
"Their appointment has been made for a period of three months only, but it can be extended depending upon the success of the first phase," he said on the 12th Raising Day of the commissionerate.
The lady SPOs will mostly deal with non-violent crimes against women, the officials said.
In a lighter vein, Sarangi said women do most of the work at homes and offices, and they should not marry men who do not know cooking.