Capital city still lacks women-friendly toilets, breastfeeding rooms

Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital city and important political, administrative, and social hub of the state, still lacks women-friendly toilets and breastfeeding centres.

Tens of thousands of people visit the state capital from all over Kerala for various reasons, like work, education, medical care, and even for sightseeing, but still the place has a long way to go when it comes to creating public spaces for nursing mothers.

It is commonly alleged that despite the fact that there are a lot of women working today, administrators are not ready to check if employers are providing such legal facilities in their workplaces.

It is also alleged that most of the places including entertainment centres in the city do not provide such facilities. Despite spending crores on decoration and luxuries, infrastructure development often ignores such spaces.

A rest room and cafeteria were inaugurated in Pettah in December 2022 with high expectations. However, operations at this centre have not yet started.

Under municipality’s women’s welfare scheme, 25 lakhs have been spent from the municipal plan fund for the centre, built in the premises of Pankajakshan Memorial Open Air Auditorium.

The centre, if working, will be useful to women alighting at the Pettah railway station and visiting the park and open-air auditorium.

The building was designed to include drinking water, breastfeeding corners, diaper changing areas, napkin vending machines, and napkin incinerators.

The adjacent cafeteria is open to everyone.

Pettah ward councilor C.S. Suja Devi, Chairperson of the City Planning Standing Committee, told the reporter of ‘Madhyamam’ that tenders have been invited for the cafeteria.