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Delhi
Delhi Commission For Women Sends Notice To North MCD Over Lack Of Public Toilets For Women In Major Market
The Delhi Commission for Women has issued a notice to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation for failing to build toilet facilities for women in a major market
New Delhi: North Delhi Municipal Corporation on Wednesday received a notice by the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), over lack of public toilets for women in the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) market in Sector 17 of Rohini. As per the notice, DCW claims that the market in question comprises of over 300 shops, most of which sell ladies garments and jewellery to customers coming from far-reaching areas of Rohini, Bawana, Narela, Alipur, Prahaladpur, Samaypur, and Badli. However, there is not even a single toilet for women in the market despite repeated demands from the market association, the notice states.
The notice also demands the reasons for the absence of ladies toilets as well as a time frame needed for facilitating these toilets. Swati Maliwal, Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women told NDTV,
Most of the shops in the market do not have toilets. This causes great discomfort to women visitors’ who complain to shopkeepers. The Market Association, in turn, has often sought help from the civic agencies for construction of ladies toilets but failed to get any response
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She further expressed her disappointment to find women’s needs being neglected by authorities. She added,
Constructing a ladies toilet in a shopping area is part of the basic civic infrastructure that the Municipal Corporation is bound to provide. The Commission shall work towards ensuring that a toilet is created in this area at the earliest. Hopefully, the DCW notice will bear result and the ladies visiting Sector 17, Rohini will find reprieve soon
When NDTV contacted a senior official from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation’s sanitation department, he assured that the issue is being dealt with utmost sincerity. He said,
When DDA makes any market, the provisions for male and female toilets are included in the plan. The shopkeepers in the vicinity, however, convert them into all-male toilets, depending upon their requirement or few of the remaining ones aren’t maintained properly, hence were not considered by Delhi Commission for Women. This is a serious issue and we’re trying our best to make sustainable arrangements for ladies toilets in the market by March 16 and we will respond to the notice accordingly.
The Delhi Commission for Women has sought an official response from North Delhi Municipal Corporation by March 22.
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