An online survey conducted by the city police found that the lack of washroom facilities for women was the main complaint. An ongoing survey for women’s safety found that approximately 40% of women had difficulty accessing hygienic washroom facilities in workplaces, mostly in government offices and buildings, bus stations, railway stations and other public places.
The survey has received 40,000 responses so far and is gaining momentum, police said. Initially, many raised issues such as harassment at home and in the workplace. However, now many more have highlighted the shortage of women’s toilets in the workplace.
“We have discussed this in our meeting. Once the survey is completed, we will contact the authorities to address the issue of lack of proper sanitation facilities,” said a senior official. Sources said he mentioned in the survey that when there is a toilet for women in his office, it stays dirty and the stench makes it impossible to enter.
Another defendant, Manisha, mentioned that apart from accessible toilets, there are few toilets for women in public places. She said that some time ago, when she was going to her hometown by bus, she felt an urgent need to attend the call of nature. There was no commode in the toilet. She has a knee problem and can’t use it. Police found out that the issue is more serious for people with disabilities like Yogita. “He is a special person with a disability and he is facing serious difficulties due to lack of facilities for such persons. “There is an urgent need to build toilets for people with special disabilities,” she said.
Some women also complained of harassment in the workplace and at home. Some women living on the outskirts of the city said they were afraid to go to some areas of the fortified city.
City Police said the online survey will continue until women receive 1 million responses about the problems they face. “We will form a committee which will communicate with the concerned departments and try to resolve the issues,” police said. The survey is being conducted for the welfare of women. The good news is that so far fewer women have complained about eve-teasing in public. “
