Protect children, women, Sr Citizens or face action
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 02 May 2013 21:58 IST
The government authorities would now be punished if children, women and senior citizens are not protected in public places.
The Goa (Right of Citizens to time-bound delivery of public services) Bill, passed in the Assembly today, has also made a special provision for deprived sections of the society.
It includes infirm, destitute, special people, children, women, widows, senior citizens etc.
“Every public authority shall be duty-bound to prevent any kind of harassment, eve teasing etc to these sections,” states the bill.
Not providing protection to these deprived sections of the society has been made an offence, punishable with a fine and disciplinary action.
The public authorities not only need to protect them in government offices but all kind of public places, including the public street.
The bill has defined these places – private or public transport by road, water and air; hospitals and dispensaries; schools, colleges, universities, board of education and technical institutions; municipal markets, shopping complexes and shopping centres including public street.
Glad to know that Sr. Citizens, women, children and special people will be protected. I am very much sure this will happen in the Kadamba Transport Corporation buses but am doubtful about the transport in the private run buses on the village routes because once these buses cross the city there are no no government officials to keep track of how the conductors and drivers of the public run buses behave.
I commute on the Margao/Mobor buses and one can see how the conductors make rows of 3 standing PAX in the row in the bus - One can imagine how it is to be standing specially for school/college going girs and ladies travelling to work in these buses.
My sincere wishes that the authorities do something about it now.
H. Viegas