Railways has traditionally been looked upon as a male domain. However, this view is gradually being replaced by one of gender neutrality as Indian Railways has been employing women in all its sectors. Railways’ Prayagraj division in Uttar Pradesh is one such example. Here, IRTS officer Sanjay Kumar has taken various steps to empower women and provide them with a safe and healthy environment to work in in order to encourage more women to join the railways.
From running an all-women train to spreading awareness through paintings and graffiti, Division Traffic Manager, Tundla, Mr. Sanjay Kumar, is adopting various ways through which he can empower women and, also, try to change the perception of people towards the fairer sex. Indian Masterminds got in touch with the officer to know more about his women empowerment initiatives.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
A picture was doing the rounds on Twitter where a few women, who were posted as points women at Tundla sub-division, were fixing the railway track and were performing all the duties of a ‘pointsman’. The incident received a personal recognition from the officer in charge, Mr. Sanjay Kumar, who posted it on Twitter.
He wrote on the post: “Tundla Railway Yard has one of the highest numbers of points women in our sub-division. They perform all the duties which pointsman does. Here they are in action.”
Speaking to Indian Masterminds, he said, “We have started a separate restroom for women staff where they can use sanitation facilities and can also rest if they feel tired. Similar initiative is being taken in all the railway stations under the Prayagraj division where such facility was not available for women.”
Similarly, the Tundla railway station has now been transformed by graffiti and paintings where strong messages and striking pictures are painted on the walls of the junction. In one photo, one can see women standing confidently in various professional outfits. “This will change the perception of people towards women,” the officer said.
PROVIDING A SAFEGUARD
Railways operate at all hours, and for a smooth process, it requires people to work on rotational shifts. And the rule applies to the female staff as well. Doing night shifts raises security concerns and, also, creates inconveniences when travelling, especially if the workplace is far from home.
“As generally people have to work on rotational shifts as per their rosters, women have to participate in an equal manner. However, for their comfort and safety, we provide them preference on house selection. For example, the points women I posted in Tundla work in the night shift and are given houses near the station, so that they can commute easily to their home and also work in the night safely,” Mr. Kumar said.
ALL WOMEN CREW
Two years back, on International Women’s Day, a goods train was flagged off from Tundla Railway Station to Varanasi. It is nothing unusual to run a good’s train, but what was rare and amazed everyone was that it was operated by an all-women staff. The train was piloted by two female loco pilots: Archana Kumari and Nidhi Shukla. Bhanu Kshatri was guard and Bhagyashri, Pushpadevi were Traveling Ticket Examiners (TTEs). Not only this, but all the Railway Protection Force (RPF) constables on that train were women – Neha Pal, Rachna Patel, Pushpa, and Laxmi Singh. Such initiatives have led to more women choosing railways as a career option and, hence, the number of woman staff is gradually going up.
