DTC gets its first woman driver


The Hindu, 18-04-2015 06:51:43


Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print


Saritha says she will take special care of women passengers.Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Saritha says she will take special care of women passengers.

 


30-year old Venkadarath Saritha from Telengana took up auto rickshaw driving 10 years ago to support her family.

: In a move described as a major contribution to women’s empowerment, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has appointed a 30-year-old woman from Telangana as its first female driver.

The driver, Venkadarath Saritha, will be on day-time duty on regular routes in Central Delhi.

Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai handed over DTC’s appointment letter to Ms. Saritha, who was earlier working with Azad Foundation’s Sakha cabs in the Capital, in the presence of transport officers and media persons at his office in State Secretariat here on Friday.

Ms. Saritha, who moved from Hyderabad to New Delhi four years ago, was selected from among seven women candidates who had applied for the post in response to a DTC advertisement. After completion of formalities, she attended a four-week training programme at the DTC training school.

Sharing her story of grit, determination and struggle against odds, the newly inducted woman driver told media persons that she took up auto rickshaw driving 10 years ago because of financial problems in the family following her father’s prolonged illness.

“As the youngest among five sisters, I took it as a challenge to financially support my family. I moved from Nalgonda district to Hyderabad and obtained a heavy vehicle driver’s licence,” said Ms. Saritha. She later found a job at Holy Mary College, where she drove buses to ferry students.

Four years ago, Ms. Saritha found an opportunity to drive all-women Sakha cabs run by Azad Foundation in Delhi. As part of her assignment, she drove high-end cars, including BMW.

Ms. Saritha will join duty at Sarojini Nagar Depot on Monday, after which she is likely to be on day-time bus driving assignments. She said she would take special care of women passengers travelling in her bus and abide by all traffic rules and regulations.

“This is [indeed] going to be a challenging job for me. As a responsible driver, I will be careful about the passengers in my bus and traffic on roads,” said Ms. Saritha.

Mr. Rai congratulated the DTC for its “bold decision” of appointing the first woman driver and said it would encourage more women to come forward and join the DTC’s fleet of buses. “We will explore scope for making appointments of more women drivers in future,” he said.

The DTC authorities have especially helped Ms. Saritha in getting a public service vehicle badge from the Transport Department, which was mandatory for her duty as a driver on the city roads.

 

30-year-old Venkadarath Saritha from Telangana took up auto rickshaw driving 10 years ago

to support her family

Comments on this Article
alfredo, santhekatte Sat, April-18-2015, 10:07
jossey you can apply for conductor
Agree[0]
Write your Comments on this Article
Your Name
Native Place / Place of Residence
Your E-mail
Your Comment   You have characters left.
Security Validation
Enter the characters in the image above
    
Disclaimer: Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Kemmannu.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.
Please note that under 66A of the IT Act, sending offensive or menacing messages through electronic communication service and sending false messages to cheat, mislead or deceive people or to cause annoyance to them is punishable. It is obligatory on kemmannu.com to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request. Hence, sending offensive comments using kemmannu.com will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Kemmannu.com be held responsible.
Similarly, Kemmannu.com reserves the right to edit / block / delete the messages without notice any content received from readers.




Abu Dhabi - Christmas 2024 - Festive joy is in the
View More

Final Journey of Mr. Charles D’Souza (63 years) | LIVE from UdyavarFinal Journey of Mr. Charles D’Souza (63 years) | LIVE from Udyavar
75th B’day & Silver Jubilee of Episcopal Ordination of Most Rev. Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo.75th B’day & Silver Jubilee of Episcopal Ordination of Most Rev. Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo.
Final Journey Of Richard Sequeira | Live From Barkur || Kemmannu channelFinal Journey Of Richard Sequeira | Live From Barkur || Kemmannu channel
Milagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Udupi - Parish Bulletin - January 2025 IssueMilagres Cathedral, Kallianpur, Udupi - Parish Bulletin - January 2025 Issue
Rozaricho Gaanch 2024 December Issue - Mount Rosary Church, SanthekatteRozaricho Gaanch 2024 December Issue - Mount Rosary Church, Santhekatte
inal Journey of Patrick John Dalmeida (78 years) | LIVE from Barkurinal Journey of Patrick John Dalmeida (78 years) | LIVE from Barkur
Annual Church Feast 2025 | St Theresa’s Church, KemmannuAnnual Church Feast 2025 | St Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Vespers 2025 | St. Theresa’s Church, KemmannuVespers 2025 | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Final Journey of Rocky D’Souza | LIVE from SanthekatteFinal Journey of Rocky D’Souza | LIVE from Santhekatte
Confraternity Sunday | LIVE from St.Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu, UdupiConfraternity Sunday | LIVE from St.Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu, Udupi
Final Journey of Wilson John Maxim Soares | LIVE from Santhekatte, KemmannuFinal Journey of Wilson John Maxim Soares | LIVE from Santhekatte, Kemmannu
0:24 / 2:30:40 NEW YEAR MASS 2025 | LIVE from Kemmannu | Diocese of Udupi0:24 / 2:30:40 NEW YEAR MASS 2025 | LIVE from Kemmannu | Diocese of Udupi
CHRISTMAS MASS -2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, KemmannuCHRISTMAS MASS -2024 | St. Theresa’s Church, Kemmannu
Land/Houses for Sale in Kaup, Manipal, Kallianpur, Santhekatte, Uppor, Nejar, Kemmannu, Malpe, Ambalpady.Land/Houses  for Sale in Kaup, Manipal, Kallianpur, Santhekatte, Uppor, Nejar, Kemmannu, Malpe, Ambalpady.
Annual Day - 2024 | Carmel English School, KemmannuAnnual Day - 2024 | Carmel English School, Kemmannu
Naturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOWNaturya - Taste of Namma Udupi - Order NOW
Focus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, UdupiFocus Studio, Near Hotel Kidiyoor, Udupi