Mother of two daughters becomes Haryana Roadways' first woman conductor
Chandigarh, Oct 28: A differently abled mother of two daughters has become the Haryana Roadways' first woman bus conductor, thanks to the ongoing strike by the state roadways employees, forcing the government to launch a recruitment drive for drivers and conductors.
32-year-old Sharmilla, hailing from a village in Rewari district, had been looking for a job for long to support her family and got it amid the ongoing strike, which has turned out to be roadways employees' longest ever.
"Both I and my husband were unemployed. We are raising two daughters. I had been looking for a job for last 8 to 10 years and when I learnt about this vacancy, I applied against it and got the job," she said.
Clad in a pair of jeans and a shirt, Sharmilla has been performing her duties after joining the Rewari depot Wednesday.
"I am very happy now. I am getting good support and respect from the people. They appreciate what I am doing," she said.
Sharmilla said she faces 40 per cent disability in one of her legs, but she has never let it stand in her way.
"I am Haryana's first lady conductor and I am so happy to get this job. I have joined my duties three days ago and have learnt most of the things related to ticketing," said Sharmilla proudly.
Sharmilla is among the two women who were recruited as bus conductors, the other one being Nirmala Rani, who has joined duty on Sirsa-Ellenabad route.
Earlier this year, 30-year-old Archana had become the first and only woman driver of the Karnal city bus service.
The Haryana Roadways employees had Thursday decided to further extend their strike till October 29 as their fresh round of talks with the government failed to make any headway.
The employees are on strike since October 16 against the government's decision to hire 700 buses from private owners.
There are about 19,000 employees in the Haryana Roadways, catering to 12 lakh passengers daily with a fleet of 4,100 buses.
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Rally against "vote chori" to protect every citizen's right, says D K Shivakumar
New Delhi/ Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar asserted that the Congress party's rally against alleged 'vote chori' (vote theft) in New Delhi is to protect every citizen's right to vote.
Accusing BJP government at the Centre of restricting vehicles with Congress workers from entering Delhi to participate in the party's mega rally, Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress chief, said that about 3,500-4,000 party leaders and workers have come from the state to participate in the rally.
Congress is holding a mega rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday, against the alleged "vote chori" (vote theft).
"We (state Congress) have made accommodation for 1,500 people (party workers and leaders), more than 2,000 people have made their own arrangements. They have come by flight and train. About 3,500-4,000 people have come. About 1.42 crore signatures have been gathered from the state (as part of its signature campaign)," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he said, there is a lot of enthusiasm among party workers and leaders, and they are committed to saving the Congress party in the state and the country, and protecting the citizens' right to vote.
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"As per the information that I have received this morning, the BJP and the central government are stopping vehicles (with Congress workers) from coming to Delhi, they are apparently not allowing vehicles to enter the city. I don't know why they are doing this. I don't know why the BJP and the central government are so worried. But no one can stop our voice," he added.
Further stating that Congress is fighting on behalf of the people of the country to protect their right to vote, the Deputy CM said, there is no politics in it. He said, all the leaders will be leaving for the protest venue from the Congress office in Delhi.
Reacting to a question on Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly terming Congress party's rally as an "act of frustration" due to electoral losses, and similar criticism from other BJP leaders, he said, he doesn't want to react to anyone from the saffron party.
"Let them say anything for their enjoyment. We, the Congressmen, won't think about electoral victories and losses. We think about the sacrifice made by our elders during the freedom struggle, to give democracy and a constitution to the country. Sonia Gandhi sacrificed power (PM post) and gave it to an economist like Manmohan Singh. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for this country," he said.
Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi went to jail for the sake of this country, he further pointed out, adding that, "A hundred years ago, Gandhi took over the leadership of the freedom struggle; today in these difficult times, Mallikarjun Kharge has taken the responsibility as the Congress President."
Shivakumar, responding to a question, said, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will also be attending the rally. "Both of us will go together (to the venue) from the Indira Gandhi Bhavan (in Delhi)."
He, however, did not wish to comment on any meeting with the Congress high command, including Soina Gandhi, on the issue of leadership change in Karnataka. Meanwhile, slogans calling Shivakumar the "next CM" were raised by his supporters as the Deputy CM left the Karnataka Bhavan.
