Panaji : The morning of Dussehra turned out to be special for Bicholim-based Pooja Vaigankar . She was not just joining the Kadamba Transport Corporation ( KTC ) as its first woman driver, but was also personally welcomed to the fleet by chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday.




“We have already seen with the pink force how women can ride cars and rickshaws, however, Pooja has proved that even a mighty bus can be driven. I am very happy to see that our women are so strong that we are slowly building a community of women who can take up such roles,” said Sawant.




This is the first time since KTC’s inception in 1980 that a woman driver has entered this domain. Her appointment comes at a time when KTC’s workforce is gradually becoming more gender-diverse, with nearly 40 women conductors and four new women traffic controllers.




“Prior to this, I worked as a truck driver in Bicholim . When vacancies opened at KTC and I appeared for the exam, the management was surprised that I wanted to take up the position of a driver. They asked me if I had come there to apply for the post of a bus conductor but I was firm that I wanted to drive their buses,” she said.




After completing the recruitment process, she was absorbed into the corporation and handed over her duties. She has been deployed on the Panaji to Valpoi route.