Women at the wheel

BrihanMumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) will get its first female driver in the history of the organization which dates back to 1926 when Laxmi Jadhav (42) takes the wheel of a Dharavi to Colaba service this weekend. 

Although Jadhav is technically not an employee of the BEST -- she is an employee of the contractor from whom BEST has leased some of its fleet – the event signals the entry of women into yet another male preserve. It is also in furtherance of the UDD’s policy for empowerment of women. In fact, the UDD has made it mandatory for all urban local bodies to set aside five per cent of their revenue for women child development, which includes education and vocational guidance for girls. 

The state already has the Mahasamruddhi Mahila Sashaktikaran scheme, which promotes the listing the names of wives alongside their husbands on the 7/12 extract.

Come to think of it, driving buses is par for the course when the Indian Air Force has women fighter pilots and the railways has women train drivers. Not to speak of the Indian Administrative Services, where women head several key departments. 

Jadhav is likely to start on May 27 or 28, after Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra tourism and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray flag off the first ride.

It may not be a high-profile event but the sight of a woman driving a public transport bus on the streets of Mumbai surely brings visibility to the idea of women’s empowerment.

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