Bengaluru: Every other day, there are stories of men harassing women passengers on public transport. Moreover, with rise in such incidents, many women were thinking twice before travelling alone. But now, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will soon play safety messages for women passengers, especially lone ones who are travelling long distances in buses.
The corporation confirms that there have been complaints registered by women passengers, especially by those who travel alone on night buses, of sexual harassment by male passengers.
KSRTC had started automatic blocking of seats next to lone woman passengers. A senior KSRTC official told Deccan Chronicle, “It’s a unique system where the seat next to a woman passenger will be blocked immediately. However, if any other woman passenger wants to take that seat, the blocked seat will be opened. In spite of having this system, there have been harassment cases, So, in the next few days, the corporation is ready to play audio message from the KSRTC Managing Director Shivayogi Kalsad. This will definitely give relief to the women passengers,” said the official.
In the recorded message, Kalsad appeals to women to raise complaints about any untoward incidents, so it will be easy to take action against any passenger who misbehaves with a woman. Not just this, this message will also warn offenders. The corporation claims that it will instil fear among offenders and stop them in their tracks.
“In long-distance buses, the system of blocking the seat next to a lone women is a very good initiative by the corporation. But we still come across harassment cases from women passengers. So, the corporation should widen the CCTV coverage inside buses that will curb such incidents,” said Swathi, a regular bus commuter.
