Some men hail move, some question intent

NEW DELHI: The scheme for free rides to women in public buses in Delhi that took off on Tuesday elicited mixed response from male commuters.

While several appreciated the initiative and said it would make public transport more accessible for women in the city, others questioned the intent and necessity of the scheme.

HT on Tuesday interviewed a few men travelling on multiple bus routes.

“It is all taxpayers’ money and it is good that the women in our families will get the benefits,” said Rahis Pal, a 49-year-old marketing professional, who was on his way to Connaught Place on Route 990E that connects northwest Delhi’s Rithala neighbourhood with Shivaji Stadium in central Delhi. “I fail to understand why some men in my neighbourhood have been criticising the scheme. If families of ministers get cars and fuel for free, what’s the harm if women in general get free bus tickets?”

For this financial year, the government has set aside ₹150 crore for the scheme. For one full year starting this Tuesday, the estimated budget for the scheme has been pegged at ₹350 crore, including the capital expenditure.

Om Prakash (61), another passenger on Route 990E, interjected saying, “Why should only women get the benefits of the taxpayers’ money? Why not men? This scheme will lead to congested buses, especially when the number of buses in the city are too low.”

Delhi has 5,600-odd buses in its fleet against 11,000 needed. The government inducted 129 new buses in the last two months. The plan was to induct at least 300 buses by the time this scheme was launched.

“Lack of money is one issue which often discourage women in households from travelling. I have often seen that happen in my house. This initiative can change that,” said Devendra Singh, 29, who works in a restaurant in Karol Bagh and commutes from his residence in Patel Nagar in the bus every day.

Dharmendra, a 45-year-old sanitation worker travelling on Route 721 that connects Kashmere Gate ISBT with south-west Delhi’s Manglapuri, endorsed Singh’s opinion. “Kisi ke toh achhe din aye [At least some people will now witness good days],” he said.

Some men came forward with suggestions. Satish Dua, 60, a businessman based in east Delhi’s IP Extension and a regular commuter on Route 534 which connects Anand Vihar ISBT with south Delhi’s Mehrauli, was one of them. He said, “The scheme should have been for school girls, senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Why all women? It looks like an election freebie.”

On Route 273 that connects Loni Road crossing with Connaught Place, 43-year-old Jagdish, said, “The scheme seems good but they could have restricted it to women belonging to economically weak families.”

In September, transport department had opined that the scheme should be restricted to poor women but that was overruled by the ruling dispensation, which maintained the scheme should benefit all women in Delhi.