1st woman bus driver wants to work in home state
Saritha, the first and the only woman bus driver in the country currently working in Delhi, is desperate to return to her native state of Telangana to settle down in her life.
The 33-year-old woman wants to take care of her old mother and younger brother and get married to make her own family.
Not only that, she also has a dream to work in the new state of Telangana, which she feels proud of.
But Saritha’s dream is unlikely to come true at least in the near future, as the Telangana State Road Transport Corpora- tion (TSRTC) does not have any vacancies right now.
“We have enough number of drivers in the corporation right now. We have no plans to recruit anybody as of now. Depending on the necessity, we may take up recruitment in the next couple of years. If Saritha has the eligibility and fits into our requirements, she can apply then and we will see to it following the due procedures,” TSRC managing director G V Ramana Rao told Hindustan Times.
Saritha, presently working in the Sarojini Nagar depot in New Delhi, came to Hyderabad last week on leave to attend the funeral of her uncle. “After his death, there is no one to take care of my old mother and school-going younger brother. All my four elder sisters are married and so I am the only person to look after the family,” she said.
A couple of days ago, Saritha met Telangana transport minister P Mahender Reddy, who in turn, referred her to the TSRTC managing director. “I would love to my serve Telangana. If the RTC gives me a job and the government gives me a double bedroom house, I can take care of my family and also get married to settle down in life,” she told HT.
Hailing from Samsthan Narayanpur village of newly-formed Yadadri Bhongir district (erstwhile part of Nalgonda district), Saritha started off as an autorickshaw driver a decade ago and finally obtained a licence for driving heavy vehicles.
After working as a driver for a college bus in Hyderabad, she moved to New Delhi in 2012 with the help of an NGO called Azad Foundation, which was running Sakha cabs, and started driving a taxi before applying for DTC job.
Another reason why Saritha is trying to move to Telangana is that she is still on a contract job. “The salary is not sufficient to survive in the national capital. I cannot bring my family here. That is why I want a permanent job in Telangana so that I can settle down in life,” she said.