#GoodNews: Haryana Roadways Gets its First Woman Conductor

Sharmilla got the job amid the ongoing strike, which has turned out to be roadways employees’ longest ever.

File photo used for representational purposes only.

(Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)

A differently-abled woman became the Haryana Roadways' first woman bus conductor, thanks to the ongoing strike by the state roadways employees, which forced 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 eight to ten years and when I learnt about this vacancy, I applied for it and got the job

Sharmilla

Clad in a pair of jeans and a shirt, Sharmilla, who is also a mother to two daughters, has been performing her duties after joining the Rewari depot on Wednesday, 24 October.

"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 that she faces 40 percent disability in one of her legs, but she has never let it stand in her way.

"I am Haryana's first woman conductor and I am so happy to get this job. I started out with my duties three days ago and have learnt most of the things related to ticketing," a proud Sharmilla said.

Sharmilla is among the two women who were recruited as bus conductors, the other one being Nirmala Rani, who joined the duty on the Sirsa-Ellenabad route.

Earlier this year, 30-year-old Archana had become the first and only woman driver of the Karnal city bus service.

Haryana Roadways employees had on Thursday, 25 October, decided to further extend their strike till 29 October as their fresh round of talks with the government failed to make any headway.

The employees are on strike since 16 October against the state government's decision to hire 700 buses from private owners.

There are about 19,000 employees in Haryana Roadways, catering to 12 lakh passengers daily with a fleet of 4,100 buses.