Mumbai: Mothers in the city police stations to get 24hr creches

Paying heed to the needs of new mothers in the workforce, city police stations to get 24hr creches

Mumbai police is set to give a breather to all the new mothers in the workforce, as all the 12 zones are set to get at least one crèche. The crèche will be equipped with CCTV cameras, toys, well-furnished floors, child-friendly wall paintings, storybooks, on-call availability of paediatricians and counselling facility and will be open 24 hours. The brainchild of police commissioner Sanjay Barve, the move was initiated after he received several requests from female police officers as they were finding it difficult to manage work and motherhood.

"One crèche will be made in each zone. At present, we have decided to start a crèche at police stations in MRA Marg (Zone 1), Mahim (Zone 5) and Worli (Zone 3). The crèche facility will help our female staff members in parenting their children and managing their work simultaneously," Barve said. The deputy commissioner of Port Zone, Dr Rashmi Karandikar, has been given the responsibility of monitoring the development work of the three crèches. "The facility will be provided free of cost to all-female police staff members," Karandikar said. "The entire premises at the crèche will be under the surveillance of CCTV cameras and the mother will be given access to the live footage to see her child on her cell phones. Also, we are in the process of making paediatricians available at the crèche. The paediatrician will update mothers about their kids' health-related issues if any, so that the child can be given timely treatment."

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She further added, "Parenting is a challenging job and new mothers have a lot of queries related to the well-being of their kids. So, we are also bringing in counsellors, who will be there to answer any questions. All the rooms at the crèche are being made child-friendly. Several cartoons have been made on the walls, and a set of toys and storybooks will be kept for grown children." The construction work at MRA Marg police station is 80 per cent done. "Once the work is complete, our commissioner sir will inaugurate it," she said. The crèches will be in the vicinity of police stations, so that the mothers are not inconvenienced during the commute. Women Police Constables (WPCs) will also be deployed at the crèche and they are are undergoing training to 'handle kids with care'. Kids up to seven years can avail these facilities free of cost. These WPCs will also teach the alphabet and songs to kids. "One feeding room is also being made at the crèche. The Mumbai police is following a woman-friendly approach," Karandikar added.

Mothers speak

Constable Khushi Kiran Sirsath, attached to Mahim police station, said, "I am very excited to get this crèche as I was always worried regarding my children after stepping out to work. I have two children: a three-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. I have installed a CCTV camera at home and I monitor my kids electronically on my phone. My husband is a teacher in Ahmednagar and I live alone in Mumbai. The private crèche is too expensive and I cannot afford it. It is always a challenge to manage between work and child. And the problem aggravates if the child is unwell and we have to go out for work. The mothers like me have to get leave if the kids are unwell. Now if the crèche is functional, we will be tension-free as I was told that every facility including doctor, play, nursing, etc will be made available free of cost."

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Sub-inspector Shubhangi Jagtap, attached to RCF police station, told mid-day that she had kept her two-year-old daughter in a private crèche. "My daughter has developed this idea in her mind that I don't love her. I feel so helpless that I cannot do anything for her, as I am also accountable to my work, where I am bound to give my 100 percent. But my personal life is at stake. Now I have kept my child at my mother's place in the village. I am dying to meet my child. If this crèche facility is started, I will bring my child back to Mumbai and keep her with me." Jagtap's husband Ganesh Kolhal is also in the force, attached to Mankhurd police station as PSI.

Constable Swati Gavade, attached to Crime Against Woman (CAW), in Mumbai crime branch, said, "My son is five years old. Somehow I took care of my child along with my work. I have kept a maid at home to take care of him, but there is always a trust deficit. Also, it becomes tough to step out to work when the maid is on leave. And the problem aggravates when it is festival season as the maids go on leave for long periods, but in stark contrast, in the force, we cannot apply for leave during festivals as we are bound to be there in the bandobast. I am really happy that this crèche facility will help many mothers like me."

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