Syeda Quratul Ain
PESHAWAR: The working women were hoping for redaction in their travel difficulties with the announcement of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Peshawar, but their hopes are fading now with continuous delays in its completion for the last two and half years.
Keeping in view the difficulties of working women for travelling to and from offices daily, a separate transport service for women was initiated in Peshawar in 2009, but that was closed for unknown reasons. Now there is no proper arrangement for transportation of working women and they mainly depend on public transport where they face a lot of problems, including harassment.
Saira Mufti, who works in a private institution, said while talking to TNN that the bus and wagon drivers and cleaners always overload their vehicles with male passengers and often male passengers are sitting on seats specified for women. She said sometime seven the rickshaw and taxi drivers take undue advantage of women passengers and seek more fare than already decided, because women cannot indulge into argument with drivers due to social constraints. She said women were hoping for some improvement with BRT completion, but that is not happening.
Haseeba, a gym instructor in Hayatabad, said she is using public transport from Saddar-Hayatabad travel for the last five years. She said there are only two seats for women in wagons and sometimes males are sitting on it, which is a troublesome scene for women passengers. She said women also live in constant fear of some negative comments from male passengers. She said salaries of working women are low and they cannot afford to arrange own transport. She said this problem can be resolved only with provision of separate transport facility for working women.
Aziz Gul, who works as a clerk in Transport Department, said while talking to TNN that pink bus service for women is already working in Mardan and Abbottabad and the government is planning to bring such service to Peshawar.
Rukhsar Javed, who works in a radio channel, told TNN that she often face trouble after not finding seat in public transport in time. She also sought separate transport facility for women.
Peshawar Traffic Police PRO Rashid said use of seats meant for women by male passengers is violation of traffic laws. He said Traffic Police is very strict on this matter and impose fines on drivers who give female seats to male passengers.
