VIJAYAWADA:Travelling in city buses has become a harrowing experience for the girl students and working women every day as they are subjected to eve-teasing.
In view of this, the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has taken some steps like operating special bus services exclusively for school/college girls and working women apart from installing Vehicle Tracking Passenger Information System (VTPIS) and CC cameras in all its 213 buses in the Vijayawada region to keep an eye on the eve-teasers.
Everyday, more than 5,000 college girls and working women travel in the City buses and their number has increased when compared to the past three years.
“We are operating special bus services for girls and women from PNBS to Benz Circle and again back to PNBS during peak hours of the day -- that is 7 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 6 pm for the safety of women. Majority of the girls and women usually travel during these peak hours. So, the present special services for them are sufficient for now and if the demand increases, then we will operate more services”, APSRTC Regional Manager G Sudesh Kumar tol Express here on Tuesday.
However, the college students and working women are not satisfied with the services being operated by the APSRTC in the city, which they say are inadequate. And then, a few of them claim that the APSRTC’s moves have failed to deter the eve-teasers, who continue to indulge in their wayward behavior.
“Everyday I travel in the city bus to reach my college and I have seen as well as faced unruly behavior of some boys in the buses, which are completely packed with passengers. I have not seen any special bus services for women by the APSRTC in Vijayawada and if the management wants to curb eve-teasing, they should first prevent overcrowding of the buses,” said V Radha, a bank employee from the city.
Some others have suggested that the APSRTC should adopt the Telangana model of partitions in the buses to prevent boys/men from making passes at girls. “As Vijayawada is gaining importance, there is a great need to ensure the safety of woman commuters. Like in Telangana, the APSRTC needs to go for partitions in buses, as the women are not even able to occupy the seats meant for them in the buses as the same are occupied by men. We are facing unspeakable problems because of some men - who indulge in objectionable behaviour irrespective of their ages”, said K Divya, an engineering student from Vijayawada.