Women passengers yet to benefit from MVD order in Kozhikode

KOZHIKODE: Like many other women-friendly initiatives of the government and its various departments, the recent direction issued by the transport commissioner to buses to pick and drop women passengers between 6.30pm to 6am at areas where buses are not allowed to stop has also failed to profit women passengers. Though the direction came into force over a week ago, women passengers in Kozhikode are yet to benefit from it as the bus owners and employees are ‘waiting’ for individual communication from the part of the transport department.
The direction was issued with an intention to offer hurdle-free journey to women during night hours.
Though women passengers have welcomed the order issued by the transport commissioner, they also feel that this direction too would fail to address their travel woes. As per the earlier direction, buses had to pick and drop women passengers at any point they demand from 10pm to 6am.
“Laws are of plenty but what we require is an efficient system to implement the laws and directions,” said P Viji, office bearer of Penkoottu, a group of women working in unorganized sectors. As women too have the right to travel freely and fearlessly during night hours, the order issued by the transport commissioner is welcomed. But not many buses in the city have started following the order seriously, she said.
Meantime, bus operators have conflicting views on the recently issued order. While a group of bus owners welcomes the direction with a note that it would increase traffic block in the city, another group opposes it completely saying that it is not practical as it would affect the running time of buses.
N V Abdul Sathar, Pantheerankavu area secretary of bus owners’ association, said that though they welcome the direction of the transport commissioner they are worried that it would create further traffic blocks in Kozhikode city. “The motor vehicle department (MVD) and police direct us not to pick and drop passengers at no-bus stop areas and if any bus is spotted doing so in front of the officials and in the vicinity of the surveillance cameras, they charge us Rs 1,000 as fine,” he said. It would be better if the time is changed from 6.30pm to 8pm, he added.
Meanwhile, K Radhakrishanan, general secretary of bus operators’ organization, said that they had not received any such direction. “We read abut it in some newspapers, but have not received any communication from the officials,” he said.
The bus operators’ organization also demanded that the MVD should be willing to revise the running time of the buses before issuing any such directions. Office bearers of the organization said that it was hard for the buses to complete the schedule on time if we are to pick and drop women passengers everywhere they want.
Meantime, Rajeev Puthalath, deputy transport commissioner (north zone) said that the buses did not require individual communication for following the direction. “Any woman passenger who is not able to avail the benefit of the direction can approach the officials,” he said adding that the MVD, in association with the police, would soon launch inspections to check whether buses follow the direction or not.