The Union government has plans to promote Shetaxi model services all over the country, Minister for Social Justice and Panchayats M.K. Muneer has said. He was speaking after inaugurating the Shetaxi service in Kozhikode on Friday.
“Rajiv Prathap Rudy, MP, visited Thiruvananthapuram recently to study about the Shetaxi service as a representative of the Union government,” Dr. Muneer said.
Kozhikode is the third city in the State, after Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, to have Shetaxi service.
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“We have requested the Union government to allot free parking space for Shetaxis in railway stations and airports and also to exempt them from tolls on national highways,” he said.
A. Pradeep Kumar, MLA, presided. He suggested that the Social Justice Department take up activities that ensured the safety of women in the city round the clock. “Even with an active night life, Kozhikode is not yet safe for women travelling alone,” he said and added that the Shetaxi was a move in the right direction.
Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC) chairperson P. Kulsu, Gender Park CEO P.T.M. Sunish, Kerala Women’s Commission member P.K. Noorbina Rashid, District Police Chief A.V. George, Deputy Transport Commissioner Rajeev Puthalath, and KSWDC Director Suja Balussery were present.
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Five cars initially
The Shetaxi service, the first off-campus endeavour of the Gender Park, will have five cars in Kozhikode in the initial phase. The fleet was flagged off in the presence of actor Manju Warrier, the goodwill ambassador of the project. The cars, specially designed by Maruti Suzuki, are GPS enabled and monitored by a control room that can be reached on 85905 11543 to avail oneself of the service.