Women want toilets in front of ladies' bogies shifted

State Minister for Railways K H Muniyappa holds meeting with passengers' association, promises to redress the decades-old grievance within a year's time

The demand of shifting stench-emanating toilets situated in front of the ladies' compartment at railway stations is not new, but this time women passengers seem to have a fair chance of getting their decades-old grievance redressed.


Women passengers have been complaining about the awkward positioning of toilets on the platforms


For, state minister for railways K H Muniyappa, who held a meeting with the passengers' association on June 10, has promised to look into the matter personally and solve the issue within a year's time.
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"I have heard the grievances of the passengers and also taken a note of the problems. I will discuss the matter with the officials concerned and try solving it soon," he said.

Sanjay Nirupam, MP, who coordinated the meeting between the passengers' association and the minister, has also promised that he will look into the matter.

"This is a serious concern for us and I am going to look into this matter personally and make sure that the toilets gets shifted.
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The railway authorities should have solved the problem on their own. Now that the issue has come to the notice of the minister of state for railways, it should be solved at the earliest," said Nirupam.

This is first time when a state minister has come down personally and gave patient hearing to the grievances of the passengers, he added.

Of late, women passengers have been registering complaints at stations about the positioning of the toilets. According to them, sometimes they feel awkward when a gent's toilet comes in front of their compartment.

This issue has been in the limelight for the decades, but railway officials have done little to solve the problem.

Sumitra Pradhan, a passenger from Borivli who has been commuting by local trains for the past 25 years, said she had been complaining about the stench-emanating toilets for decades, but her pleas always fell on deaf ears.
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"I personally visited station master's office and gave complaints in writing several times, but they did not pay heed to my requests. I hope that this time with the minister's intervention we female commutes will get relief from that unbearable stench."

Rajeev Singhal, a member of Divisional Railway Users' Consultative Committee (DRUCC), told MiD DAY that he had taken up the issue with General Manager rank officials, but to no avail.

"We have been requesting railways authorities to dismantle the toilets constructed bang opposite women's compartments so that female commuters can travel comfortably.
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In a reply from the GM's office, we were told that looking after toilets was not the responsibility of the railways. This is a serious issue, so it should be considered by railway authorities."

70 lakh
Number of passengers travelling by local trains daily

10 lakh
Number of female passengers