Single women travellers have asked for the deployment of female staff in railway police and catering services. Hundreds of professional women travel alone in India and they will feel safer if women staff is there in the trains to serve and secure them during their journey.
Monika Badgaujar, freelance TV writer and a resident of West Delhi told The Pioneer that to ensure safety of women, deployment of women staff in trains or in women coach is required, “A woman feels safe with other women especially when the journey is of long duration,” said Badgujar, a frequent traveller of Rajdhani Express (Delhi to Mumbai). “Government should install CCTV cameras in coaches as that would make them feel much safer, she added.
Another IT professional Mukta Hans from Bangalore said train journey for single women is not safe and comfortable.
Hans said, “Development in Railways is slow and gradual process however safety of passengers should be ensured, “I feel unsafe while using the toilets of train during night hours, long train journeys for women are not comfortable,” she said further.
Female passengers also said that the quality of food served in the trains needs improvement. Reena Rai, a frequent traveler said that quality of food served in trains is not good, “Vendors buy food items from different halt points and then sell the same to passengers. The quality of the food is pathetic. The government should increase rate of food items but the it should be fresh and hygienic”said Rai.