Highlights
- The sanitary napkin vending machine was installed on March 2
- Kacheguda station sees a daily footfall of 17,000 women passengers
- The vending machine dispenses two sanitary pads for Rs 5
New Delhi: For numerous Indian women, situations of menstrual emergencies and helplessness go hand-in-hand. Lack of sanitary napkin vending machines in India’s public places has resulted in numerous women thinking twice before going out, during menstruation. Though sanitary napkins are a necessity and their availability should be prioritised, the low number of sanitary napkin vending machines in public places makes it difficult for many women to venture out during menstruation. Understanding the gravity of the situation, Hyderabad’s Kacheguda railway station installed a sanitary napkin vending machine on March 2, to ensure that women passengers in Kacheguda can avail sanitary pads whenever necessary.
The machine was installed by the South Central Railway Women’s Welfare Organisation (SCRWWO). The vending machine has the capacity to dispense 75 pads with each refill. The inauguration of the vending machine was done by a female employee. The price of the sanitary napkins has also been kept at an affordable Rs 5 for two pads, so that women across all financial brackets can use the vending machine. The Kacheguda station sees a daily footfall of around 17,000 women passengers. With the availability of the vending machine, station authorities are hopeful that women passengers will no longer need to worry about sanitary napkins’ requirements during menstruation.
Along with the sanitary napkin vending machine, Kacheguda also has a separate waiting hall for women, and separate restrooms in every platform. Given the correlation between health and safe disposal of used sanitary napkins, an incinerator machine has also been installed in the station. The incinerator machine can dispose 200 used napkins daily. Kacheguda became one of the first cities in Hyderabad to install an incinerator machine, citing the importance of safe disposal of sanitary napkins. The incinerator machine was also donated by SCRWWO. Arun Kumar Jain, Divisional Railway Manager, Hyderabad said that authorities were planning to install similar sanitary napkin dispensing machines in Nizamabad and Kurnool stations.
