Campaigns launched to raise awareness on providing seats to women and
people with disabilities in public vehicles have finally begun to pay
dividends.
Krishna Maya Tamang, 44, of Koteshwor, who caught a Nepal Yatayat bus en route to Putalisadak, was not hesitant to ask a gentleman to vacate ‘a seat meant for women’. The man blushed and vacated the seat for her quietly. Traffic police and activists from different walks of life have long been running campaigns to make everyone aware that women and people with disabilities must be given priority in public vehicles.
DSP Pawan Giri, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, said it is good that women and differently-abled people have now begun to enjoy their rights.
MTPD said it took action against 177 public vehicles for non-compliance with reserved seats for women and differently-abled people in the Kathmandu Valley in the past six days. The law enforcement agency together with right activists have been monitoring public vehicles for the past one month.
“During the monitoring, we took action against 177 public vehicles that were violating the rule of quota seats,” he informed. MTPD had made the transporters put notices reading: Reserved seats are available for disabled and women.
The move is as per the existing legal provision, which requires transporters to make reserved seats available for women and differently-abled people.
MTPD had launched the drive from February 6 in the wake of growing complaints of abuse against women and physically-challenged people in crowded public vehicles.
The monitoring team found men and other passengers enjoying the reserved seats, even as women and people with disabilities stood while travelling. MTPD has urged all such passengers to vacate the seats for women, disabled and senior citizens.
The monitoring team also asked the transporters and drivers concerned to write ‘Reserved seats for disabled and women’ just above reserved seats in such a way that it is visible from the door.
According to the Vehicle and Transport Management Act, every public bus and mini-bus plying the local roads must allocate at least six seats for disabled people and women. Microbuses and tempos should reserve two seats each for the rightful passengers.
Source : The Himalayan , 8th June 2013
Krishna Maya Tamang, 44, of Koteshwor, who caught a Nepal Yatayat bus en route to Putalisadak, was not hesitant to ask a gentleman to vacate ‘a seat meant for women’. The man blushed and vacated the seat for her quietly. Traffic police and activists from different walks of life have long been running campaigns to make everyone aware that women and people with disabilities must be given priority in public vehicles.
DSP Pawan Giri, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, said it is good that women and differently-abled people have now begun to enjoy their rights.
MTPD said it took action against 177 public vehicles for non-compliance with reserved seats for women and differently-abled people in the Kathmandu Valley in the past six days. The law enforcement agency together with right activists have been monitoring public vehicles for the past one month.
“During the monitoring, we took action against 177 public vehicles that were violating the rule of quota seats,” he informed. MTPD had made the transporters put notices reading: Reserved seats are available for disabled and women.
The move is as per the existing legal provision, which requires transporters to make reserved seats available for women and differently-abled people.
MTPD had launched the drive from February 6 in the wake of growing complaints of abuse against women and physically-challenged people in crowded public vehicles.
The monitoring team found men and other passengers enjoying the reserved seats, even as women and people with disabilities stood while travelling. MTPD has urged all such passengers to vacate the seats for women, disabled and senior citizens.
The monitoring team also asked the transporters and drivers concerned to write ‘Reserved seats for disabled and women’ just above reserved seats in such a way that it is visible from the door.
According to the Vehicle and Transport Management Act, every public bus and mini-bus plying the local roads must allocate at least six seats for disabled people and women. Microbuses and tempos should reserve two seats each for the rightful passengers.
Source : The Himalayan , 8th June 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment