Two weeks after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government made rides on Delhi Transport Corporation buses free for women, most of the beneficiaries The Hindu spoke to said the scheme was extremely useful but would not last long.
The scheme for women came into effect from October 29 when the city was celebrating Bhai Dooj.
The government had said the initiative would ensure women’s safety and increase their role in the Capital’s economy.
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Holding her pink ticket for route number 405, 45-year-old Shammo, a resident of Pul Prahaladpur, said she lost her husband 11 years ago after which she put her two children in an orphanage near Daryaganj. Whenever she would go to work at houses, the children would not go to school and it had become difficult for her to manage funds which led her to make a difficult decision. “Earlier, it cost me around ₹100 to reach Daryaganj on buses or the metro. There were times when I would skip coming to meet my children on Sundays worrying about travel expenses. But that is not a problem anymore,” she said.
For Nandi Devi, who changes buses from Faridabad to reach Pragati Maidan every day for work, the scheme has helped her save ₹1,000 a month. “It is a very good move for working women like us but I do not know how long we can avail this privilege,” she said.
Freelance handicraft designer Poonam Singh, who works at Kashmere Gate and travels from Kalkaji every day, echoed similar thoughts. “This is just an eyewash. This scheme will be discontinued right after the elections in Delhi, irrespective of who comes to power. And if it continues, they will take money from us in some form or the other. They might increase a certain tax. Also, it would have been nice if they actually spent money on the maintenance of the buses,” she said.
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Jaya Chathli (70), who was on the way to her residence in Ambedkar Nagar, said that she is extremely happy that the scheme has been introduced. “It helps women who do not get money from home, but people think it will be discontinued after the elections and that will just prove that the government cheated us,” she said.
Delhi University student Pooja (20), who stays in Faridabad, does not care about what happens in the future and she is “at peace” about “feeling safe in police presence”, referring to the marshals (Civil Defence officials) deployed on the buses.