09 May,2011 07:27 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
Central Railway deploys female ticket checkers aboard long-distance trains, but they complain of harassment and awkwardness
For the first time in its history, Central Railway has deployed lady ticket checkers on long-distance trains to "empower female staff of the railways". At present, 36 female TCs have been deployed in Mumbai-Pune trains, and more would be deputed on-board other trains. A V Malegaonkar, chief PRO, CR, said, "This is the first time that CR has deployed female ticket checkers in long-distance trains. This is part of our ongoing efforts to empower female members of the railways. We are getting a positive response from passengers." He added, "We are also thinking of deploying them in other trains."
Ticket please: For the first time the Central Railway deploys female
ticket checkers in long-distance trains as part of their ongoing efforts to
empower female members of the railways. File pic
Distressed
But the ladies ticket collectors feel anything but empowered. Let alone being excited about the new assignment, they are sullen about the type of work they have been given and the long hours they are required to put in. Railway officials say they are working hard and doing well, but the praise has not cheered them up.
Lawrence D'souza (45), a TC in the city's locals for the last 20 years, said, "We have to be away from home for almost 16 hours and work with male passengers. Such an atmosphere is uncomfortable for us. We are taking our duty seriously and hoping that our seniors will understand our problem and relieve us of such a task."
She added that general compartments are an ordeal to work through. "Peak hours are the worst. We are working hard but we are not happy," she said. Almost all female TCs share the sentiment. Asmita Manjrekar, another TC, said, "When there's a rush in the train, it is a problem walking through all the coaches checking tickets while crossing male passengers." Manjrekar has been working as a TC for 18 years, but again, only in the ladies compartments of the city's suburban trains.u00a0
Officials are well aware of the unease their female coworkers face, and say that they have never been exposed to such working conditions. "I have received several complaints from female TCs regarding untoward behaviour from male commuters. They feel awkward amid them. Until now, they have only been deployed in the female compartments of local trains," said a senior CR official on condition of anonymity.
In the buses
This may be a maiden run for CR, but Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) have already had female staff on board. But BEST's experience hasn't been very liberating for its female staff either.u00a0The transport body deployed seven female bus conductors in 1998 but replaced them with their male counterparts because of complaints of eve-teasing and molestation. They were later shifted to various depots for clerical and other work. In February this year, NMMT deployed female bus conductors for the first time.
