Women travelling late at night on Mumbai local trains may now have lesser cause for anxiety. The railways now plans to increase the halt time at each station for the local trains after 10 PM.
Sources told the Mid Day that this is being done to provide women commuters with ample time to switch compartments. “If women see that the ladies coach is empty and they want to board the general compartment, then this would give them time to alight and enter the neighbouring compartment,” said the source.
Generally, woman commuters are extremely cautious while travelling in ladies compartments after 10 PM, as the first and second class ladies compartments are sparsely crowded. Although posting a policeman in all ladies compartments is mandatory at night, lack of manpower makes it difficult for the police to man all the ladies compartments during nighttime.
As per the proposal drawn by the CR authorities, they are looking at increasing the halt time by 10 seconds at most of the stations after 10 pm and till 6 AM. At stations like Byculla, Dadar, Kurla and other major stations, where trains wait for 15 seconds, the stop time could go up to 25 seconds. At smaller stations, where trains stop for 10 seconds, the halt timing could go up by another 5 seconds or more.
This new measure will likely be hailed with relief because only five days ago, a constable was arrested for molesting a woman in the very same ladies compartment that he was supposed to guard. All the more reason for railways to give women the option to board another compartment if the ladies compartment is thinly populated.
Meanwhile, the railway authorities are also considering the idea of having the ladies compartments at both ends of a train either next to a motorman or guard cabin. Moreover, by end of this month, the RPF is also likely to add more ground staff and beef up security.
Image Courtesy: BCCL
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