CM turns to rail minister to sort women commuters' loo woes

Addressing the severe lack of toilets for women at railway stations, Prithviraj Chavan asked the union rail minister for assistance to help build more

Women travelling by the suburban rail network -- the lifeline of the city -- have been forced to reconcile with the woefully inadequate toilet facilities the railways provide to women, thus, signifying a gender discrimination in providing facilities. And on Sunday, this disparity was finally addressed even by the CM, who asked that the facilities for the women increase significantly.

Too dirty to use: Most toilets at railway stations are very dirty and emit a foul odour. Also most of the times, the toilets remain shut. Representation Pic

Senior railway officials, CM Prithviraj Chavan and Union Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge were present at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus inaugurating the pink local.

During the flag off, CM Chavan took the opportunity to address this issue of fewer women’s toilets at railway stations and asked Kharge to provide the city with world-class toilets across the suburban railway network.

Chavan said, “I would like to request the railway minister to help us build world-class toilets at railway stations. We have seen that a lot of commuters, especially women, face several difficulties owing to the lack of toilet facilities.”

Confirming the same, an official from Western Railway said, “We have been trying to fulfil the demand for more women restrooms. The number of women passengers has increased significantly and we are trying to do our best. The issue is top priority for us and pending minister’s approval, we will work hard to provide more restrooms to women.”

Did you know?
With 13, Borivli has the highest number of toilets for women on the Western line

676
Total number of toilets on the Western line

119
Number of toilets reserved for women on the Western line

454
Number of toilets on the harbour line across 23 stations

78
Number of toilets reserved for women on the harbour line

17%
Toilets are meant for women commuters

93%
Toilets are not in a useable condition, they’re either locked or unfit for useu00a0

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