BONGAIGAON, Jan 18 - Thirteen pink auto-rickshaws started their services for women passengers in Bongaigaon on Wednesday.
Women drivers will run the pink-coloured auto-rickshaws and they will carry only women passengers in the town from 6 am to 6pm and charge the same fair like normal auto-rickshaws.
�Since these auto ricksahws will carry only women passengers, therefore, they are pink coloured,� National Urban Livelihood Mission�s Bongaigaon city project manager Kusumbar Choudhury said. To support economically weak women this special scheme has been launched under the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NLUM), Choudhury added.
The new concept, pink auto (for female passengers) had clicked in the mind of Choudhury after an incident in which an auto-rickshaw driver had attempted to abduct a woman member of a self-help group in Bongaigaon town last year.
Out of these 13 pink auto-rickshaws, Bongaigaon Refinery (BGR) authority and NULM, Bongaigaon, have provided 10 and 3 auto-rickshaws respectively to these 13 trained women drivers.
�I chose this occupation to sustain my family and lead a life with self-dignity�, said pink auto-rickshaw driver Anita Sutradhar (38). Earlier, she had a tea shop at the sales tax office in the town to support her two children after her husband died of jaundice in 2015.
The pink-uniformed women drivers said that they will need support and cooperation of the local police administration and people to carry out this service.
Since it is a part of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative, hence the Bongaigaon Refinery will keep extending its support to such a noble cause, Refinery�s Chief General Manager in-charge GCSikdar said while addressing the gathering at the flagging-off ceremony organised in front of Railway Engineering workshop in the town.
Local Legislator Phani Bhusan Choudhury flagged off the pink autos. Bongaigaon Deputy Commissioner Biswajit Pegu, Additional Superintendent of Police Pranjit Borah, Municipality Chairman Dipu Choudhury and other dignitaries were present during the ceremony.
