"Period Room" Set Up For Women At A Public Toilet In Maharashtra

In a bid to ease the woes during menstruation of women residing in congested slums and to provide them hygienic sanitary facilities, a "period room" has been set up at a public toilet in Maharashtra's Thane city.

Claimed to be the first-of-its-kind initiative at a public toilet, the facility in equipped with a urinal, jet spray, toilet roll holder, soap, running water and a dustbin, a civic official told PTI on Sunday.

The much needed facility, set up by the Thane Municipal Corporation in collaboration with an NGO, was opened for women at a slum in Shanti Nagar locality of Wagle Estate area last Monday, he said.

Painted on the outer wall of the toilet block are colourful pictures with messages advocating good hygiene, including during menstruation. "This Rs 45,000 low-cost facility will be replicated in all 120 community toilets in the city," the official said.

He said women living in small houses, which do not have a separate bathing section, many a times find it difficult to change during periods. This facility will be a boon for such women and go a long way in promoting good hygiene, the official said.

There are no public toilets for women in most of the localities and this facility will help provide them some relief, he said.

The initiative indicates that slums are undergoing a revamp, with facilities like schools, health clinics and good toilets being set up there, the official said.