Hyderabad: Loco pilots S. Supriya from Nizamabad and M. Rajasekhara Chary from Hyderabad operated the inaugural train in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Minister for Urban Development and Municipal Administration K.T. Rama Rao, Governor E.L. Narasimhan and other senior officials of the government and L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad took a ride.
Supriya was selected from among the 35 female loco pilots trained to operate the train.
“I was excited ever since I was told that I would operate the inaugural train in which the PM and other dignitaries would travel. Though I didn’t have a chance to interact with the PM, it is an achievement to have gotten the opportunity to drive him,” she said.
Female pilots were trained as part of the initiative to provide equal employment opportunities to women.
A senior official from Hyderabad Metro Rail, said, “We made efforts to ensure that a woman drove the first metro train. The Special Protection Group also cleared the decision, and so it was decided that Supriya and Rajasekhara Chary would man the inaugural train.”
During the inaugural ride, the controls were managed by Supriya, while Rajasekhara monitored other systems.
