Dharamsala: Woman passengers in the state can now avail a concession of 25 per cent while travelling in the government-run Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses, starting on Monday.
The facility was announced by state Transport Minister G S Bali during his Independence Day speech at Mandi. Divisional Manager of HRTC, Anil Sen said, “This facility is being given to the passengers for travelling within the state only. They have to bear full charges in HRTC buses while travelling to other states.”
Sen said the concession shall not be available in Volvo, AC, Deluxe and buses running on fixed fare, whereas this can be availed in non-stop route buses of HRTC. He said women travellers can avail the concession as many times as they want while travelling within the state. “As the ticketing has not been separated in the ticket machines the tickets for ladies are being done manually,” he said.
During his independence day speech, the Transport Minister had also announced a Volvo bus service run by HRTC from Dharamsala to Srinagar and from Mandi to Jaipur.
He announced that Himachal Road Transport Corporation would start start 16-seater mini luxury bus services from all the district headquarters to Chandigarh to help small groups.
Clash at Bengal Railway Station
In a bizarre incident, men and women passengers of a suburban train clashed at Khardah railway station in North 24 Parganas district after some compartments of a ‘Ladies Special’ were allotted to general passengers, including men.
Men and women pelted one another with stones and clashed injuring several passengers.
The irate mob became violent and even targeted the police which fired tear gas shells and resorted to a lathi charge to forcibly disperse the unruly mob.
Twenty policemen were injured while several passengers sustained head injuries. Eastern Railway had announced that 50 per cent of the compartments of ‘Ladies Special Matribhumi Express’ as general compartments, allowing men to travel on them. This angered the women passengers most of whom were office-goers.
Subsequently, Even though, Eastern Railway ultimately withdrew its decision, train services in the suburban areas reamined disrupted for around four hours.