With new found 'Shakti', women travel around Karnataka in buses

Bengaluru: It had been long cherished dream of Hanamakka from Yadgir district in North Karnataka to visit Dharmasthala once in her life, which she finally achieved at the age of 65 on Sunday.

Coming from a remote village in Yadgir, the septuagenarian had never dreamt that she could ever travel the farthest south western region of the state, since money was a constraint.

Courtesy the Shakti scheme, one of the guarantees of the Congress government in Karnataka, Hanamakka like lakhs of other women is now entitled to travel free of cost in non-luxury buses operated by state-owned transport corporations.

The scheme has enabled women from all strata of society to travel wherever they want within the state at zero travel expense since June 11.

With the new strength, women are measuring the length and breadth of Karnataka in government buses.

One of the most sacred places of Karnataka, Dharmasthala on the bank of River Netravati in the coastal district of Dakshina Kannada, has become the choicest destination for women, who are thronging there in hordes.

On Sunday, which happened to be an Amavasya, the new moon day, hundreds of women took a holy dip in the Netravati river and paid their obeisance to Lord Manjunatha, another name for Lord Shiva in Karnataka.

While Dharmasthala tops the list of most favoured destination, there are other places too where women are rushing.

With new found ‘Shakti’, women are going to places like Savadatti Yellamma temple in Belagavi, Chamundi hill in Mysuru, 18th century AD Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan's capital Srirangapatna, Nanjangud in Mysuru, Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapura, Kudalasangama in Bagalkote, Mookambika Temple and Krishna Temple in Udupi, Gol Gumbaz in Vijayapura, Basavakalyan in Bidar, Kittur in Belagavi, Hampi in Vijayanagara district, Anjanadri Hill in Koppal, Male Mahadeshwara temple in Chamarajanagar and Chitradurga fort in Chitradurga district.

Among the four state-owned transport corporations, the buses of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) and the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) are running jam-packed.

Only the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses operating in Bengaluru city are by and large untouched by the mad rush as seen in other transport corporation buses.

These State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses were supposed to have 50 per cent reservation for men but most of them are occupied by women only.

Women jostling for space and children pushed inside the government buses from window to occupy seats have become a common sight at the bus stands.

In Kollegala town in Chamarajanagar district, the door of a KSRTC bus broke and fell off as it could not bear the load of women who swung on them to get inside the crowded bus to Male Mahadeshwara Temple to offer special prayers to Lord Shiva on the occasion of Amavasya.

According to the Karnataka Transport Department, since its launch on June 11 the scheme has cost the state exchequer Rs 70.29 crore as 3.12 crore women have travelled free of cost in state-owned buses till June 17.