BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to foster inclusive employment opportunities, the Odisha government has planned to recruit women drivers for the Ama Bus service in the state.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, who reviewed the operation of the city bus service on Tuesday, said 20 women candidates from CRUT will be sent to Pune in January-end for specialised e-bus driving training and will be recruited thereafter.
The minister also announced that a dedicated driver training institute will be established at the CRUT depot premises. The institute will focus on practical driving skills, behavioural training, traffic regulations, lane discipline and road safety, he said.
Laying stress on passenger safety, Mahapatra underlined that alcohol consumption remains one of the major causes of road accidents. “Alcohol testing has been made mandatory for all Ama Bus drivers and in the last one year, 1.97 lakh alcohol tests have been conducted through checks at the beginning and end of trips as well as random inspections during operational hours of Ama Bus service,” he said.
During the tests, 19 drivers were found positive for alcohol consumption and arrested by the police. Their driving licences were suspended for three months, the minister said.
He also said CRUT has extended immediate compassionate assistance to the families of accident victims and provided insurance coverage exceeding `4 crore to the families of those who lost their lives in road accidents.
During the meeting, the minister reviewed the operational framework of the Ama Bus service and discussed a range of structural, safety and service-improvement measures to strengthen public transport in urban areas. He directed CRUT officials to expedite expansion of the city bus service to Baripada, Keonjhar and Angul to strengthen public transport connectivity in those regions.