Chasing “Mobility Dreams”

Breaking through the glass ceiling and also creating values

Even though Neetu Aman Kishore possessed the knowledge, skills, experience, confidence to lead Vaaan Infra with full awareness, responsibility and motivation towards higher goals and implementation of new ideas, she had to work very hard to break the glass ceiling and become a leader.

“Global experience shows that women’s involvement in managerial and leadership positions clearly makes an organization more successful in business, more resilient to crisis and adaptive when it comes to its management. Yet it’s the women who must constantly fight for their rightful positions viz a viz their male counterparts,”she explains.

While the traffic/transport/ITS business is predominantly pro-male oriented, things have been changing over the last few years, she points out.

“We have a very dynamic leader in the current Chairperson of NHAI, Ms. Alka Upadhyaya. Today, there are many women at leadership positions in the industry that supports the changing senior management inclusive of female leaders in this industry.”

Once she proved her mettle, Kishore was supported by everyone in the industry; be it her clients, central authorities like NHAI and IHMCL, state authorities like the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC), consultants, OEMs, vendors, banks, joint venture partners, and my own industry colleagues.”

And this support became more evident after the tragic passing of her husband and the main founder of the company, Aman Kishore.

“The guidance and kindness shown by all the key stakeholders made it possible for us to achieve a great number of new orders, book the targeted revenue for the current financial year and commission some big projects like the implementation of India’s most advanced ATMS system on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, worth nearly `250 crore, as well as the ITS implementation on the Delhi Meerut Expressway.”

Over the years, Vaaan Infra has grown to provide solutions in multiple areas like ITS, ITMS, ETC/ Toll Management, Weigh in Motion, ATMS, Transit Management including Automatic Fare Collection(AFCS), Access Control Systems, Security and Surveillance and Smart City ICCC aided by Video Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.

Speaking about her journey as an entrepreneur, Kishore says, “The sense of satisfaction for being able to contribute towards the country’s development needs while delivering solutions that save lives, time and resources is unmatched. This also gives us an opportunity to provide jobs, career growth and mentoring to so many capable people in the country.”

Kishore continues, “VaaaN is truly a labor of our love for the country, our beliefs, our offerings and love for each other and the VaaaN Family. At VaaaN, the founding members I have built a culture of engagement and empowerment while embracing the right values, beliefs and principles.”

“In our industry, some of the major challenges have been delay in completion of projects, poor infrastructure, payment delays running over several months, thefts, vandalism, and violation of the equipment at the Toll Plazas and Highways. This is however slowly becoming better with strict monitoring and patrolling.

“VaaaN has always been a path breaker– one of the first players in the industry to deploy over one-third of India’s FASTag solution and continue to successfully manage it thereafter. Having deployed over 3000 TMS lanes worldwide.

Testing Limits

Prior to becoming the MD of WDTT, Gangadhara worked as a professional in a company where she saw first-hand how unconscious gender bias affected the advancement of women. “I felt women were not rewarded appropriately for the work we put in. In fact I went for 10-15 interviews but did not get positive response. This led to starting my own company and provide good service to the clients. I had the full support of my husband.

WDTT has developed a technology wherein data can be monitored in designated phones and laptops in real time. Although WDTT has had a successful two years in the industry, she says collection of accurate data has been challenging. “Public compliance in terms of following traffic rules in India is very poor, and we also lack efficient technology and software.”

She adds: “More research and development must be done in this field and that requires huge investments. We are currently using HD cameras and most of the installation work is done manually which is not easy.”

By using hybrid versions of cameras for traffic surveys, where different components are installed together, we have managed to develop a technology where data can be monitored in designated phones and laptops in live. I can proudly say our company is a pioneer in this regard.”

Also, leading a business through the pandemic, tests everything one has ever learnt as well as rolling together every management crisis theory into one while being persistent and taking calculated risks.

The Covid 19 pandemic was a challenge Gangadhara had to overcome. “It was difficult to approach new clients. So, to win over those clients, we initially provided free services.”

She adds, “I am glad to say we have managed to navigate through those difficult times, and are now managing a flourishing business.”

Her vision for women in business is for them to be empowered.

Managing traffic and also situations

For Palak Goel, DSP, Chandigarh, managing traffic in a well-planned city is less challenging as the city has already imbibed a certain amount of discipline in observing traffic regulations. “However, each day bring in different situations demanding interventions. Technologies like CCTV camera, radars, electronic challan systems etc aid enforcement of traffic regulations. There are law breakers though, of different kinds, who refuse to pay the fines and we need to make them understand the need to follow the systems.“

In her quest for mobility

Raghuvanshi, India’s first woman truck driver was brought up in Maharashtra. After her schooling, she studied commerce and law. Soon after, she was married to a man in Bhopal who, she was told, was a lawyer. But, he was, in reality, a truck driver.

After her husband’s death in a car accident in 2003, then 33-year-old Raghuvanshi hired a truck driver to drive the truck her husband owned, but eventually realised she was never left with any money because of the kind of bribes the driver was paying on the route. She was determined to make her way on her own, and now she is a confident, strong woman working in a male dominated field.

“The hostile looks never bothered me and I chose to rise above those challenges, move forward and make a better future for myself and my children.”Driving for days at a stretch, fixing wheels, cooking by the roadside, spending the night in the truck, she’s been challenging everyone’s imagination in the country.

And, surprisingly, the 51-year-old says that she has never felt scared or threatened on her long hauls. “I have driven through dangerous areas, but driving in such terrains gives me the courage to go anywhere.”

No wonder, Shell India has included Raghuvanshi in its campaign, ‘Great Things Happen When We Move’. The campaign encourages women to keep moving and chase their dreams for a better future.