NCRTC conducts community awareness programme for women in Ghaziabad

‘The NCRTC conducted a session to spread awareness about various women-friendly provisions in RRTS and how India’s first regional rail will help empower them through improved access and increased opportunities, apart from safe travel,’ said an official

Ghaziabad While work on the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) project is progressing at a fast pace, the National Capital Region transport corporation (NCRTC) recently conducted a community awareness programme in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad with key focus on empowering women through transport and mobility.

Officials of NCRTC said on Wednesday that the programme was conducted last Friday. (HT Photo)

Officials of NCRTC said on Wednesday that the programme was conducted last Friday under the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR) initiative.

The 82km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS project, which aims to provide high-speed train connectivity, is being constructed with financial aid from ADB -- in August 2020, the bank approved a $1 billion loan for RRTS.

“The programme for women, girls and students, including those from rural areas, was organised with special emphasis on the role of RRTS in empowering women. The NCRTC conducted a session to spread awareness about various women-friendly provisions in RRTS and how India’s first regional rail will help empower them through improved access and increased opportunities, apart from safe travel,” said Puneet Vats, chief public relations officer, NCRTC.

Officials also conducted a special session on “apps to use in distress situations”. Some other sessions on the benefits of economic empowerment, microfinancing opportunities and benefits of access to health services were also conducted during the programme.

The NCRTC is focusing on multi-modal integration of RRTS stations with other transport modes to ensure seamless movement of passengers while ensuring safe and reliable transport, especially for women passengers.

Along the lines of commuter centric features, the NCRTC has also proposed that each of the RRTS trains will have a dedicated coach for women passengers while the agency also proposes a wide range of surveillance coverage of 2,000 CCTV cameras on the entire 82km network.

The ₹30,274crore project, which will cater to 800,000 daily passengers, is likely to get commissioned in March 2025. A 17km stretch in Ghaziabad is likely to begin operation by March next year. The trial run of the 17km stretch is likely to get underway in December.