‘Built 2 pink toilets with breastfeeding facility’

A NINEMONTHOLD HAD FILED A PLEA THROUGH HIS MOTHER AGAINST THE NONAVAILABILITY OF FEEDING ROOMS AND CHILD CARE ROOMS IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

NEWDELHI: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Monday informed the Delhi high court that it has constructed two pink toilets with breastfeeding facility in Central Delhi.

The response of the municipal body was given to a bench of chief justice Rajendra Menon and justice V Kameswar Rao on a plea filed by a nine-month-old toddler through his mother against the non-availability of feeding rooms and child care rooms in the national capital.

“...the NDMC has constructed two pink toilets exclusively for women, where feeding facilities have been provided, at Parliament Street, near the LIC building and the other at the circle Connaught Place Mall,” the reply said.

The civic body also informed the court that it is conducting a survey and discussions to assess the feasibility of providing breastfeeding facility at public places such as park, bus stands, community halls, among others.

The civic body also said setting up similar facilities at every hundred metres is not possible owing to paucity of space, and the heavy financial cost that is needed to ensure safety of users as well as maintenance.

Earlier, the court had sought the response of the Centre, the AAP government in Delhi and the municipal corporations on the public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by a nine-month-old through his mother, seeking the construction of feeding rooms for lactating mothers.

The plea, filed through advocate Animesh Rastogi, contended that a large number of newborns and mothers have been facing problems of feeding babies in public.

“Breastfeeding in public is still a state of awkwardness among many young moms. They feel shy to feed in public due to fear of strangers gazing at them,” the plea said.

Invoking the right to privacy, it also claimed that the right to life is infringed upon and it is the duty of the state to ensure that such rights are protected and enforced.

A senior NDMC official said that the pink toilets have breastfeeding rooms with sofas and other seating arrangements for two to three women at a time. “It has proper ventilation. Also, there is provision for curtains around each person, so that they don’t feel uncomfortable while feeding kids. In future, we have planned for feeding areas with gates in each block,” he said.