ADRIEL ALMEIDA
Women, young girls and old ladies face reckless behaviour of conductors in buses plying from KTC bus terminal to Gogol, Ramnagri and further down South via the market. They are abused, assaulted and molested publicly on a regular basis.
Other travellers in the bus turn a blind eye when conductors behave rudely with women. It is melancholic when conductors pass filthy comments on young college girls, block their way purposely, push them deliberately and try and touch them for no rhyme or reason.
Liza D’Silva a college student, who travels by bus, says she has seen conductors pulling women’s hand violently and misbehaving with elderly women, which she says is a very bad behaviour.
Simone Gonsalves, another student from Varca, has seen a mother with a child, being pushed by a conductor in a moving bus. When she objected to a man sitting on a seat reserved for women she was forced to sit on the steps of the bus with her child.
Bailancho Ekvott President Auda Viegas said, “conductors are neither capable nor trained to be conductors. Owners of the bus engage any random person as a conductor”. The owners of the buses are reportedly neither bothered to check the conductor’s misbehaviour, nor their etiquette or conduct shown towards women, Dias said further.
“A raw hand, with no principles or proper training, often uneducated, is appointed a conductor. It appears that the only lesson he has picked up is that he is free to push passengers rudely, especially women. What can women expect from such men who do not deserve to be conductors”, asked Auda.
It is the responsibility of the bus owners to ensure that good-mannered conductors are on board, conductors who are aware of the psychology of commuters, pay attention and provide respect that they need to give to the elderly, said a source. Conductors are bound to see that the seats reserved for ladies are occupied only by females, or else there is no point in having the notices printed on the bus or seats, the source added.
Women are vulnerable to unnecessary body contacts, sudden jerks and deliberate elbow nudges while travelling in an overloaded bus, thus it is responsibility of a conductor to regulate the amount of passengers said Auda.
She said some cases have been reported to her organisation, including one where a 63-year-old driver abused a minor girl. Unfortunately as the accused died, the case has now been dropped, she added.
Conductors are sometimes observed of not charging fare from school and college students in lieu of allowing them to hold their hand. Cases have been reported where girls were taken to an isolated place in the bus to be abused by the driver or conductor.
While 181 is a women’s helpline number unfortunately it is not publicised to the extent it should have been, opined Auda. According to her, the RTO should check the credibility of the driver and the conductor, carry out a psychological test and ensure that the driver has a certified driving licence. Besides she also questioned whether police are sensitised to the bad behaviour of conductors and bus drivers.
Women and girls should be trained to cope up with such situations when they arise, and know some ways of self-defence to protect themselves. Also the mindset of the entire society needs to be changed, Auda quipped.
Acknowledging this situation, the Superintendent of Police, South, Arvind K. Gawas said, “Women and girls should take a step forward and file a complaint at the police station if they come across such acts, and should always remember that police are for their security.”
He further stated that if complaints are filed against conductors or bus drivers who are involved in harassing women or carrying out any kind of inhumane act against them, the police would act promptly and take stringent action against them.
