Jammu civil society has full appreciation for the Chief Minister flagging off first ever ladies special bus service in Jammu city. This was a much needed step in improving city transport. Not to speak of female commuters, even respectable male commuters were feeling uneasy and embarrassed when the drivers played obscene records while driving. Moreover, it was very embarrassing to see a woman standing in the running bus because there is no vacant seat and the occupants are not prepared to offer the seat to the lady. These are very crude incidents but the women commuters have been going through this traumatic experience while travelling in the city transport.
The scheme is to begin services from Panjtirthi to three destinations in the city which are most congested. We are confident that the experiment will be a big success and very soon the Transport Department will think of plying more exclusively female buses in the city. However, we think that one hour interval is too long and the frequency should be just half an hour at least during peak hours of the day. We learn that special buses for this purpose will be ordered which are comfortable in many ways. We may say here the mini buses that are now plying on the streets in Jammu are shameful and atrocious. We have so many times said that these should be discarded forthwith as these are most inconvenient and redundant in every way. These are reminiscent of early 1960s and should be declared condemned stock. New buses with more seats, low floor, comfortable and convenient have to be introduced in the city transport segment. At the same time, the alignment of city mini buses plying at present in Jammu on different routes, need drastic reforming. Mudrika-like buses need to be introduced and instead of making Panjtirthi the focal point, dispersal of focal points in various parts of the city has to be planned. For example if a bus can run between Janipur and Chatha, why cannot a bus ply between Anand Nagar and airport or railway station? The city transport authorities need to sit down and redraw the city transport route map that serves maximum number of people and localities of the city.
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