Tamil Nadu government adds new rules to Motor Vehicles law to ensure women safety

It is well known that the Tamil Nadu government has implemented special concessions for women in public transport. Local government bus fares were suspended for women earlier to reduce the financial burden of the working class.

Now, the state government has issued an ordinance with new rules to the state Motor Vehicles Rules of 1989 to ensure the safety of women while traveling in buses. Henceforth, conductors are given the power to drop passengers who disturb women during the journey and hand them over to the police station if they continue to be non-cooperative.

According to the new rule, “A male passenger shall not stare, shout, whistle, wink, make sexual gestures, sing songs, pronounce words, take photographs, etc. at women traveling in the bus. In particular, any of their actions shall not cause irritation to a fellow female passenger. After issuing a warning to the person involved in such acts, the conductor may drop the passenger under complaint or hand him over to the en route police station.”

Also, the conductors should not behave in a way that causes irritation to passengers, especially women and girls hereafter. Conductors are prohibited from touching female passengers in the wrong way as well. Women travelers should not be asked inappropriate questions about the purpose of the trip.