On the day of Raksha Bandhan in Bhopal, the government has given a gift to the women to move free in city buses from 6.30 am. They will be able to travel for free till 9 pm on Thursday. The cameras and tracking system installed in the city buses are also being monitored.
On the other hand, there have also been complaints of a conductor charging the fare from a woman in a city bus running on Kolar Road. The Municipal Corporation is talking about taking action on this. Mayor Malti Rai had announced to provide free service to women and girls in 273 city buses running on 18 routes of the city. Corporation commissioner KVS Chaudhary Kolsani had issued orders in this regard to BCLL (Bhopal City Link Limited). Due to this, fares are not being charged from women and girls in city buses on Thursday.
A total of 273 buses ply on Bhopal's 18 routes. These buses cover all the areas of the city. From Chirayu Hospital near Bairagarh to Avadhpuri, New Market, Ayodhya Bypass, Karond, MP Nagar, Misrod, Mandideep, Hoshangabad Road, Katara Hills, Bairagarh Chichli, Kolar Road, Gandhinagar, Bangarasia, Raisen Road, Lambakheda, Nariyal Kheda, Bhouri and most of the buses operates in urban areas.
In Bhopal, about 1.25 lakh passengers travel in city buses in a day. In these, an average of 60 thousand are women and girls. Apart from the employed, students also travel by buses. They charge minimum Rs 7 and maximum Rs 42 as fare, but free on Thursday.