For social activist Sudha Katva, who took the Namma Metro from Malleswaram to Peenya on November 14, it came as a surprise that the Namma Metro station at Peenya did not have a restroom. Though her house was just half a kilometre away from the station, she felt the need to use the restroom.
When she approached the Namma Metro staff, including the customer relations personnel, she was told that the restroom was not open for the public but only to the staff. When she asked whether she could use it, they did not oblige. “They were very dismissive of my request and made me fill a complaint registry,” she said.
Later, she lodged a complaint with the Karnataka State Commission for Women, Karnataka State Human Rights Commission and the Peenya police station.
On Monday, Manjula Manasa, chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women, visited the Peenya Metro station but was denied entry as she did not have the required permission to inspect the place. She now plans to take up the matter with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) and the Urban Development Department.
“It is a public place and restroom is basic requirement. When the Metro stations can have space for cafes and pharmacies, why not for a restroom?” Ms. Manasa questioned.
