Public toilets to be compulsory before nod for rallies

Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls, the Maharashtra government is set to take a revolutionary step to make portable toilets for women compulsory at the site of political rallies and events - a step that other states could emulate.

This would be a major initiative for womenfolk from the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar government.

Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said she would request Fadnavis, who is also the Home Minister, to issue notice to district collectors, commissioners of police and superintendents of police asking them to ensure the facility of clean portable toilets for women while granting permission for political rallies and events.

Thus Tatkare extended an encouraging response to Tirtha Samant's Change.org petition, #HerRightToPee.

The petition, which was signed by over 2,000 people, had also requested presidents from women’s wings of political parties like BJP, Congress, Shiv Sena, NCP, MNS and others in Maharashtra, for portable public toilets for women during political rallies, specifically during the 2024 parliamentary and state assembly elections.

Tatkare has now assured Tirtha Samant that she will take action to provide portable toilets for women at political rallies in Maharashtra. “Tirtha Samant from the 'She Creates Change' programme brought to my notice her online petition asking for portable toilets for women in political rallies. I have taken note of this and assured her of appropriate action,” Tatkare said.

“Gender equity begins with the most basic of things like easy access to a safe and clean toilet in a public gathering and am thrilled that the government has taken cognisance of my petition,” said Tirtha Samant.

Lack of clean and safe public toilets for women is a longstanding issue and can subject women to Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), kidney diseases and a traumatic experience in public spaces, she said.

She also hopes that political parties will include in their election manifestos the promise to provide clean and well-maintained public toilets for women in each village of Maharashtra