5 days ago
2
The KSRTC autobus presumption present connected Monday witnessed immoderate tense moments aft a conception of commuters locked horns with Mahila Morcha activists who were staging a protestation demanding escaped question for women successful each KSRTC buses. The protest, held soon aft the district-level inauguration of the escaped question strategy for women successful mean KSRTC buses, was inaugurated by Mahila Morcha State caput Manju Suresh. Mahila Morcha Kottayam West territory president Usha Suresh, territory wide caput Veena Venugopal and different leaders were besides present.
The agitation, however, took a melodramatic crook erstwhile a radical of women protesters boarded a Fast Passenger autobus parked astatine the presumption and demanded escaped travel. As the autobus unit maintained that the work could not beryllium operated amid the protest, commuters began voicing their absorption and asked the protesters to get disconnected the bus.
With the protesters refusing to backmost down and accusing the State authorities of reneging connected its predetermination promise, a heated speech soon broke retired betwixt the 2 sides. Several passengers pointed to the inconvenience caused by the protestation and argued that the agitation should beryllium directed against the authorities oregon KSRTC authorities alternatively than mean commuters.
The concern became much tense aft a fewer BJP workers joined the protest, adjacent arsenic they maintained that they had nary volition of blocking the autobus service. The standoff yet ended aft constabulary and KSRTC officials intervened and persuaded the protesters to measurement down from the bus, allowing the work to resume.
Earlier successful the day, Kerala Legislative Assembly Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan formally launched the escaped question strategy for women successful mean KSRTC buses by handing implicit a zero-fare summons to a pistillate rider travelling connected the Kottayam–Cherthala way via Kumarakom.
District panchayat president Joshy Philip, Kottayam municipality chairperson M. P. Santhosh Kumar and District Transport Officer S. Ramesh besides addressed the function. Under the scheme, women volition beryllium eligible for escaped question connected 22 mean KSRTC services operating from the Kottayam depot.
