PUNE: The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) recruitment for Driver-Cum-Conductor concluded after 30,068 candidates cleared the written test recently. Out of these, 742 are women candidates who have cleared the test. Interestingly, Pune division has emerged topper among all 21 divisions across the State wherein 117 women cleared the test.
As many as 35,400 applications were received for the opening of 8,022 posts. The male candidates will have to undergo another round of physical tests, driving efficiency tests while women candidates will only require to meet the criteria of height and educational eligibility and will be sent for a one-year training.
MSRTC issued a notification to recruit driver-cum-conductors in early this year.
As per the officials, 1,647 vacancies for driver-cum-conductor have been posted in Pune Division against which 7,148 applications were received.
“Among the 6,183 candidates who cleared the written tests in Pune Division, there are 117 women, which is highest among all 21 divisions in which the recruitment is taking place,” said Abhijit Bhosale, Public Relations Officer, MSRTC.
Although, all transport bodies including MSRTC and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) reserve 30 per cent seats for women in all recruitments, women candidates stayed away from drivers’ jobs. As a result, MSRTC and PMPML do not have a single woman driver.
To encourage women aspirants, the department relaxed the eligibility criteria. For men to be eligible, it is mandatory to have a heavy vehicle driving licence and a one-year experience of driving the heavy vehicle without any accident. For women, a heavy vehicle licence is not a must. “They could be considered if they have a light vehicle driving licence and one-year experience of driving a light vehicle,” said an MSRTC official.
“The candidates who passed will have to undergo a 100 marks driving test following tests concerning physical and other criteria. Once the driving test results are out, a final merit list will be displayed based on marks scored by candidates in written test and driving test. However, for women who have cleared the written test, only eligibility documents and height requirement will be tested. These women will be sent for year-long training to drive the heavy vehicle,” added Bhosale.
“Most of the women who have applied are from urban areas. While MSRTC has close to 4,500 women conductors, it does not have a single female driver,” said a senior official.
