Telangana Govt Introduces Special Bus Facility For Women

Keeping in mind the safety of women, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has introduced a special facility for women. The corporation has issued orders to all its drivers and conductors to stop the bus anywhere on the request of women after 7.30 pm.

Now, women can board a bus and get off anywhere and not just at bus stops. The facility will only be available in Greater Hyderabad zone for now.

V Venkateswarlu Executive Director, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation said, "Women can complain to the concerned depot manager if they are inconvenienced in this regard and the depot manager will conduct a thorough investigation and take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future. We urge all women to take advantage of this facility and travel safely on TSRTC buses."

Violence Against Women In Public Spaces

Over the last decade, public transport, especially buses (or bus-stops), have been consistently cited in surveys and reports as spaces where women felt unsafe and vulnerable due to a past occurrence or a fear of violence against them. A study across six states in the country conducted by the United Nations Development Fund (UNDF) with the Breakthrough Trust (2017) highlighted that over 90 per cent of women and girls experience sexual harassment in public spaces, including bus-stops and inside buses.

In 2012, the horrific gang-rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern on a moving bus in Delhi send shockwaves across the country. The victim succumbed to her injuries later at a hospital in Singapore. The incident sparked a debate about women's safety in public places.

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