'Stree Shakti' free bus travel for women ready for launch

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday reviewed the preparations for the ‘Stree Shakti’ scheme, a flagship welfare programme offering free bus travel for all women across the state in select APSRTC buses. The scheme is set to launch on August 15.

During the review meeting with officials at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister directed them to take proactive measures to ensure smooth implementation of the scheme without any issues.

Naidu emphasized the importance of effective crowd management and increasing capacity to handle the expected high ridership. He also stressed the need for robust safety measures and called for staff to be courteous to passengers, ensuring no complaints are received.

The Chief Minister also instructed the officials to regularly collect passenger feedback and use it to improve the scheme’s implementation. He also suggested using an outsourcing agency to manage certain services.

He highlighted the need for a robust system to address any problems immediately. He instructed officials to ensure e-POS machines are GPS-enabled to track buses and provide real-time information to passengers. He also mandated that bus stations be kept ‘exceptionally clean’, with trash removed regularly and toilets cleaned every two hours under constant official supervision.

To enhance passenger comfort, Naidu ordered the installation of RO water plants at all bus stations. He also noted that the renovation and painting work on bus stations with Rs 30 crore should be completed by December of this year. New fans and chairs are to be installed where needed, and RTC staff must be available round the clock to assist passengers.