Uttar Pradesh News: BJP MLC Vijay Bahadur Pathak Raises Alarm Over Poor School Toilets

Lucknow: BJP MLC Vijay Bahadur Pathak on Tuesday raised serious concerns over the poor state of cleanliness in government schools and colleges, particularly the condition of women’s toilets, through a calling attention motion under Rule 110 in the Legislative Council.

Drawing the attention of the House, Pathak demanded a detailed discussion and a statement from the government, urging it to launch a special campaign to repair and improve toilets in schools and colleges across the state. He also pressed for ensuring the availability of sanitary napkins for girl students wherever possible.

Referring to the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Mission, the MLC said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state sanitation campaign was progressing, but ground realities in educational institutions remained a serious concern. He said unhygienic conditions in schools and colleges were adversely affecting students’ health as well as their studies.

Pathak pointed out that in many institutions, toilets were not being cleaned regularly, making the situation alarming. In several places, even basic necessities such as water and soap were missing. He alleged that in the state capital Lucknow itself, students of several colleges were struggling for basic facilities. In some institutions, toilets lacked doors, while in others window panes were broken, forcing girl students to avoid using the facilities altogether.

He specifically mentioned the poor condition of toilets in IT Guru Nanak Girls PG College in Lucknow, along with around a dozen other colleges in the city, where the situation had deteriorated significantly. According to him, similar conditions prevailed in many districts of the state, including Ghaziabad, Azamgarh, Bareilly, Jaunpur and Pilibhit.

The BJP MLC further said that sanitary napkins were not available in most girls’ schools in urban areas. In places where vending machines had earlier been installed, many had since been removed, worsening the problem.

Pathak urged the government to take immediate corrective steps to ensure clean and functional toilets, with special focus on women’s facilities, and to strengthen sanitation infrastructure in educational institutions across Uttar Pradesh.