Matunga becomes India’s first railway station run by women

In a bid to empower women, Central Railway has appointed all women staff at suburban Matunga railway station, thereby making it India’s first railway station run by women. A formal event to mark all women railway station will be held soon.

More Details:

A total of 30 women staffers, including 11 booking clerks, five Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, seven ticket checkers are working under the supervision of station manager Mamta Kulkarni since last two weeks.

• This is not the first time the Central Railway is taking the lead in empowering women. In 1992, its staffer Mamta Kulkarni became the Mumbai’s first woman station master. Kulkarni was posted in Kurla.
• Currently, the all-women staff at Matunga Railway Station has been handling overall operations of the railway station round the clock.
• The idea of all women station was floated by D K Sharma, General Manager of Central Railway.
• Kulkarni mentioned that initially the staff faced a few problems but later learned to handle it as part of job responsibility.
• Women ticket checkers deployed at Matunga station have learnt how to deal with male passengers while discharging their duties.
• Kulkarni added that presence of women RPF and police outpost near railway station makes them feel secure while doing their job.
• In context of this news, it is to be noted that Shyam Nagar Metro station in Jaipur is the first Metro Station in India to be operated by all-women staff.

About Matunga Railway Station:

Matunga railway station, which is located in central Mumbai, gets a huge number of student population as a lot of colleges are located in the area.

• Matunga provides connectivity to Sion and Dadar and witnesses heavy rush during peak hours.