Begumpet railway station in safe hands of women

Hyderabad: In a step towards women’s empowerment, the South Central Railway (SCR) has handed over the Begumpet railway station to an all-women crew on Tuesday. For Padmaja, chief booking clerk, Uma Chandamani, senior booking clerk and Manjushree, reservation clerk, it was a different experience as all the operations were handled by them.

The SCR has decided to hand over the station’s day-to-day activities, including train operations, ticketing, security and other duties. Passengers to the railway station were pleasantly surprised to see women man all the counters.

Eight women commercial clerks, four enquiry-cum-reservation clerks, six constables and a sub-inspector of Railway Protection Force are handling the operations and to provide smooth and hassle-free service to passengers.

When asked about security at nights, the women staff said that there would be Railway Protection Force lady escorts and there was nothing to worry about.     

The station is already in the hands of the women ahead of the International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8.This is the first railway station in Secunderabad Division to become an all-women station. The other railway stations that would transform into all-women stations from March 8 are Chandragiri railway station in Guntakal Division and Phirangipuram railway station in Guntur Division.  

M Umashankar, Chief Public Relations Officer, SCR said, “Women are no less in any walk of life and nowhere is the power exhibited as profoundly as in a railway station.”