The Police Department’s ambitious programme ‘Bus Gate’ for enhancing safety of women commuters in public transport buses was launched here on Friday.
Superintendent of Police Bhushan Gulabrao Borase inaugurated ‘Bus Gate’ at the KSRTC bus stand. The Mandya district police, along with the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), has organised the campaign to prevent untoward incidents in public transport system.
The campaign has been launched to deter male passengers from boarding public transport buses through the front doors and to create awareness among people on the rights of women to occupy seats reserved for them in KSRTC and Mandya Nagara Sarige (MNS) buses, Mr. Borase told The Hindu .
Mr. Borase fixed ‘Bus Gate’ stickers on a few buses and requested the public to work for the success of the campaign. “Women passengers should board the bus through the front door and male passengers shall enter through the rear door,” he said.
Private bus operators in Mandya have been asked to reserve the front door for female passengers. “If the vehicle has a single door, preference must be given to women to board first,” he said.
Meanwhile, the KSRTC has requested male passengers not to occupy seats reserved for women in its vehicles. M. Ramesh, Divisional Controller of KSRTC (Mandya), said that he would launch an awareness drive asking men not to occupy ‘ladies seats’ in buses. The KSRTC has depots in Mandya, Maddur, Malavalli, Nagamangala, K.R. Pet and Pandavapura. It has 475 buses, including 20 MNS buses, and operates stage carriage services on several routes across the district.
Admitting that the KSRTC had, so far, not imposed penalties on male passengers occupying ladies seat, Mr. Ramesh said, “We are aware of the difficulties faced by women passengers in buses.”
The department has 70 lady conductors and 65 women technical staffs working at its depots, Mr. Ramesh said.
