KMT women allowed flexible duty hours for taking care of family

Women employees of the Kolhapur Municipal Transport (KMT) in Maharashtra will now be allowed flexible working hours after it came to light that women ticket collectors were uncomfortable with duty hours ending late at night.

This comes after civic panel chief Sharangdhar Deshmukh received anonymous complaints, according to a Times of India report. Importantly, most of the women employed in the KMT come from rural areas.

Deshmukh pointed out that a number of women employees have young children and aged parents or in-laws to look after. He said that the transport officials have assured that duty hours will be fixed according to the convenience of the women employees.

The gender disparity in the transport department has been bridged after women were employed as ticket collectors. But a number of them are assigned to buses plying on long routes. There have been calls to deploy women on shorter routes. Transport officials have also assured that the women will be put on routes that connect their homes so that they can answer domestic emergencies if and when required.

Deshmukh indicated that there are plans to employ more women in the KMT and start special buses for women.