BHUBANESWAR: Owners of buses, following the bizarre practice of denying entry of women into their vehicles as first passengers, will now face the consequences. The State Transport Authority (STA) on Friday directed RTOs to take action and issue e-challan against owners of such buses for not allowing women as first passengers.
The direction came after a woman was stopped by a private bus staff from boarding the bus as the first passenger at the Baramunda bus stand in Bhubaneswar. In a letter to all RTOs, STA secretary Braja Bandhu Bhol said permits are granted to stage carriages on different routes to carry passengers on payment of bus fare as notified by the government from time to time.
The owner or conductor of a stage carriage cannot deny entry of women as first passengers in buses. Any deviation shall amount to a violation of permit conditions and is punishable under section 192A of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, he said. The RTOs have been asked to check both private and government buses regularly and draw e-challan against the owners whenever it is detected the owner or conductor denies entry of women as first passengers.
Earlier, the State Commission for Women had asked the Commerce and Transport Department to end the practice of not allowing women to board the buses if there are no other passengers. The panel issued the directive following a petition filed by social activist Ghasiram Panda, who sought the commission’s intervention after a bus conductor did not allow a woman to board the bus as first passenger recently.
“The bus conductor did not allow the woman to board the bus as first passenger citing it is considered a bad omen. I appreciate the authority for its prompt action on my petition,” he said.