DHAKA can be termed commuter-friendly by no stretch of imagination. Citizens have to go literally through an ordeal to commute from one place to another. But there is very little that a citizen can do about it. Despite being a man I have to wade through a lot of physical and mental hassles to commute in the city every single day. The situation is understandably far worse for women.
A few days ago as I was waiting for a bus, I saw a middle-aged woman beside me who was also looking for a bus to go to her destination. Buses were coming one after another in quick succession and I could somehow get into one while the woman could not as the bus conductors were refusing to take in as there were no vacant seats for ladies. I do not know how long the woman had to wait as the bus carrying me drove off quickly.
Public buses remain so crowded that it is impossible for elderly people, women and children to obtain a bus seat, not to speak of handicapped persons. Problem gets worse during the rush hours.
As more women are joining workforce every day and employers are offering more jobs for women, it is imperative that safe and hassle-free journey for women be ensured. The authorities should introduce more women-only buses especially for working women passengers. At the same time, some inter-city buses for only female passengers should be launched, which will help ease communication hassles for the ladies. It is not going to cost much, but will definitely go a long way to reduce a growing number of working women's sufferings.
Tanveer Islam (Pavel)
Sutrapur, Dhaka
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