After Delhi’s east district roped in transgender people to advise women on safety in public transport last year, the Punjab government could become the first state to hire the third gender as conductors or safety officers in buses.
Navdeep Asija, Punjab government’s traffic adviser appointed by the Punjab and Haryana high court on July 9, said he had put across the idea during the hearing of a case on public transport before the high court last week as part of verbal discussions on making buses safer. “I’ll move a proposal with the transport department soon,” he said.
The case is primarily about safety of kids in school buses but over time it has become more broad-based looking at safety in buses.
The 2011 census figures show that transgenders constitute 2% of the total population of Punjab. In 2010, the Punjab government created a separate category in application forms under which third gender people can apply for government vacancies.