Pune’s only woman road roller driver is just a labourer

Although Yamuna Pawar is working as a road roller driver with the PMC for last six years, the civic body considers her as a labourer and not a driver. Subroto Roy reports

Pune's only woman road roller driver is just a labourer

Although Yamuna Pawar is working as a road roller driver with the PMC for last six years, the civic body considers her as a labourer and not a driver. Subroto Roy reports

In fact, according to Sanjay More, the PRO of PMC, she is the only woman road roller driver in the entire state.
But what's astonishing is the fact that the civic body doesn't recognise her as a driver and has given her the post of a labourer. "The PMC has awarded me for the unusual work that I do. But with my experience as a road roller driver, I should have got the post of a driver," Pawar said.

She added that the PMC has deprived her of the post along with the benefits that comes with it.

However, R V Raut, assistant city engineer of PMC, doesn't deem that she's the only female road roller driver in the city. "As we haven't done any survey, we can't say that she's the lone female road roller driver in the city or state," said Raut. Moreover, he added that she is not a regular road roller driver and is just asked to drive the vehicle in and out of the parking area.

Raut asserted that Pawar doesn't even have a licence to drive the road roller and the PMC hasn't allowed her to do the road-rolling job. "She is not a driver but a labourer and is posted at the PMC office near Saras Baug," he said.

But contrary to what Raut said, this reporter captured Pawar on video driving on the fairly congested road that leads to Sadashiv Peth.

Nonetheless, even after being deprived of what she deserves, Pawar doesn't have any regrets of doing a 'man's job'. Instead she is proud of the fact that she can handle such a 'monster' in the complex road conditions of Pune.

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