Bhubaneswar, Mar 8: A Balasore girl named Mamata Sahoo has set an example by venturing into a male-dominated profession, by working as a loco pilot.

She has won the ‘Women Achievers of Odisha’ (WAO) at a program organised jointly by the Odia daily The Prameya, news channel News7 and Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN) run by Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan, a Deemed to be University here on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.

Born and brought up in Narayanpur under Baliapal block of Baliapal in Balasore district, Mamata had a dream to be a doctor. Born to Ajay Sahu and Padmabati, she was good at studies throughout her career. Subsequently, she passed matric with good marks.

However, her parents could not afford for her higher studies. Anyway, they managed to admit her into a private industrial training centre (ITI) to make her self-reliant. Mamata passed from the institute and joined in a private company in Chennai. However, she came back to Odisha some times later and she applied for the job of Loco Pilot under Indian Railways and qualified. 

Since then Mamata has been working as a loco pilot in Kharagpur zone of Indian Railways in the company of male crew.