ALL WOMEN CREW TRAIN TO RAYAGADA TO MARK IWD

Badal Tah,Odishabarta

Rayagada, March 8: To mark the International Women’s Day (IWD), an all women crew special train was flagged off from Visakhapatnam to Rayagada  by Smt Parijata Satpathy, President East Coast Railway Women’s Welfare Organization, Waltair Division. Vice Presidents of ECoRWWO Smt Kavita Gupta, Secretary Smt Priyanka Sridevi and other executive members of ECoRWWO also took part in the flagging off ceremony.

This Railway Division has always been the front runner in shouldering women empowerment by engaging women in Track Maintenance, Train Operations that the team managed at Route Relay Interlocking, Train Managers, Loco Pilots, Ticket Checking and in Office duties. This Division also formed exclusive women teams at Loco Sheds who are engaged in maintenance of crucial parts of Locos and also operates an exclusive women security team Meri Saheli which takes care of women passengers in trains or at Station.

Speaking on the occasion President Smt Parijata Satpathy said that it was the time, Women’s Day, to reflect the progress made, to label for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the development of their community and society. She said, “It gives immense pleasure and we are proud to share that the entire train 08504 Visakhapatnam-Rayagada special is manned today by women employees and the entire staff in Operations, Commercial, RPF were also women staff today. Hence, if the women want, they can- this maxim has been well reflected by the all women crew in the Rayagada bound train from Vizag.”

To mark the IWD, walkathon was organized under the aegis of Women’s Welfare Organization led by Smt Parijata Satpathy at RK Beach. Divisional Railway Manager Shri Anup Satpathy, ADRM (Operations) Shri Manoj Kumar Sahoo, Senior Divisional Personnel Officer Shri RNA Parida, Sports Officer Shri Praveen Bhati and other branch officers, women staff, sports women, RPF, Civil Defense personnel took part in the Walkathon.

Three women who drove the goods train were loco pilot Smt Sahana Kumari, Assistant Loco Pilot Ms K.Nagamani and Train Manager Smt M.Kalyanni. The Four Ticket Checking staff were Smt  S. Ambili, Smt G.Atchutamba,Smt K.Santoshi Rao and Smt D Radha. Divisional Railway Manager Shri Anup Satpathy congratulated all the Women Team on this achievement and expressed that women had shown the way & this is the beginning of a new dawn. & more such landmark events are anticipated from the Railway Women Fraternity in the time to come.