Male bus passengers found occupying seats reserved for women will now cough up fine in the State.
In view of the frequent complaints of harassment of women travelling in buses, the State Government has decided to penalise the male passengers found sitting on seats meant for women.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting here between Commissioner of Police Sudhanshu Sarangi, members of private bus owners’ associations and Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) MD Arun Bothra on Tuesday. A notification in this regard would be issued soon.
Since women and girls are found harassed mostly while standing inside buses, the meeting stressed on ensuring availability of sufficient seats to women passengers in both Government-run and private buses. Besides, a special toll-free number would also be released to help women facing harassment in moving buses.
“Women passengers can call or send message on the cell number in case they face harassment while on travel. Immediate action will be taken after that. Bus owners have been directed to ensure an effective execution of the order. They have also been instructed to ensure that bus staffs are well-behaved and do not consume liquor during duty hours,” said an official source.