2 min readJaipurJun 3, 2015 07:55 AM IST
First published on: Jun 3, 2015 at 01:08 AM IST
Jaipur Metro operators Meena Soni, Kusum Kanwar and Monica Mittal. (Source: Express photo)
Kusum Kanwar’s father never allowed her to ride a bike as a kid. “When I was in school, I used to ask my father if I could ride his scooter and he always refused. Then, when I grew up I asked my brother to teach me how to ride a bike, but he also said no,” says Kusum. Years later, Kusum finds herself behind the wheel, so to speak, of Rajasthan’s most sophisticated mode of urban transport — the Jaipur Metro.
She is one of the six women operators (from a total 24) in the Jaipur Metro — the sixth metro project of the country.
With the public launch of Jaipur Metro on Wednesday, these women are ready to steer the pink city’s urban commute dream.
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“I have always heard people say women can’t drive. By operating the metro, I wanted to shatter that image. That was the moving force behind me applying for the job,” says Monika Mittal, who operated the Metro’s pre-run for the media on Tuesday.
For Meena Soni, the youngest of the six, the job of a Metro operator offers an exciting adventure.
The first part of the Metro’s Phase-1 will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Wednesday. The Jaipur Metro project, which began under the previous Congress regime in 2010, is funded entirely by the Rajasthan government.
“Women make up 30 per cent of our staff. Women are doing everything here, from controlling stations to running trains. Jaipur Metro represents a bold step in terms of women’s empowerment,” Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation CMD N C Goel told The Indian Express.
However, unlike its Delhi counterpart, Jaipur Metro does not have any “pink” coaches. “Since we only had four coaches, we could not demarcate women-only coaches. But we do have reserved seating for women,” says C S Jeengar, Director (Operations and Systems Management).
Jaipur Metro operators Meena Soni, Kusum Kanwar and Monica Mittal. (Source: Express photo)
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