Hundreds of women commuters of the Central Railway suburban section wore black ribbons on Wednesday in protest against the alleged "apathy" of railway officials towards their commuting woes and other issues.
A frequent commuter and a member Railway Passengers Women’s Association said, “On the occasion of Women’s Day, we decided to organise this protest by wearing black ribbons.”
"The number of women passengers is increasing day by day and morning and evening rush has made it very difficult to travel in local trains. However, the administration is not taking it seriously" she added.
According to the protesters, their long-pending demands, including better facilities for women commuting between Karjat and Kasara and CSMT, are being neglected by authorities despite the submission of several reminders and holding of meetings.
Leader of Upanagariy Railway Pravasi Mahasangh Lata Argade said, “Our demands include more shuttle services between Thane and other far away stations like Karjat and Kasara and an increase in the of coaches reserved for women on suburban trains.”
Justifying the demands, she added that number of coaches reserved for women remained the same as it used to be more than a decade ago even though the number of commuters has gone up manifold.
Argade said, "At the same time, women passengers have to face various problems at the railway station as well. Women are being boarded by male hawkers recklessly in the coaches and even if they complain about this, they are not being taken into account. Apart from that clean and hygienic toilet at the stations is still a serious issue.”
The other issues faced by the commuters are nuisance caused by beggars, drug addicts, and anti-social elements and the overall safety of women on local trains.
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