Bhopal: With no provision for separate washroom and retiring room at police stations, the women personnel are left with no option but to share unisex toilets with their male colleagues. The implementation of the 33 per cent reservation for the women in the police force was a decision hailed by one and all, however, the government failed to provide the required infrastructure to its women force at their work place.
There are around 7,000 women personnel serving at 1056 police station all across the country The previous government considering the type of job and requirement had directed construction of restroom-cum-toilet for its women personnel, however, forget to allot the funds for the same.
Women cops are not very comfortable using neutral gender toilets, besides the bathroom habits of their male colleagues are also quite annoying. The police department has failed to assess the need of women personnel who are on duty for long hours at their police stations.
Duty hours of women cop sometime stretch to 8-10 hours and their job demand them to be on the toes all the time. Day and night patrolling are part of their strenuous service. With no separate changing–cum-restroom at the police stations, things sometimes become a bit awkward for the womenfolk. For lack of basic amenities, women personnel are quite hesitant in taking up night duties.
For women personnel deputed in urban and sub-urban areas, things are a slightly easy as they have choice to leave for home after performing the duties, however in rural areas as police stations are sans required amenities and infrastructure, women avoid taking posting there.
Separate restroom-cum-toilets soon, assures Mane
Women personnel had put before their seniors the demand of separate restroom and toilet in police stations and the officers had sent the proposal to the government. The BJP government though had conceded to their demanded and directed construction of restroom-cum washroom, however, they never sanctioned the amount for the same.
Now, the new Congress government has allotted funds to take up the construction work. MP Police Housing Corporation ADG Sanjay V Mane told Free Press the department has got the allocations and soon the every police station will have a women restroom including a toilet “The construction work will be taken up soon and in would be completed in coming four to five months as we had got the allocations,” assured the ADG.
