North civic body paints 22 women’s toilets pink

Sanitary napkin vending machines and space for nursing mothers also added

One of the newly painted women’s toilets, in Rohini, on Sunday.

As a New Year’s gift to women, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation will paint women’s toilets pink and will have facilities such as sanitary napkin vending machines and space for nursing mothers.

In the first phase, 22 toilets have been painted and readied for use: seven toilets in Keshavpuram Zone, one in Karol Bagh Zone, one in Rohini, 10 toilets in City-Sadar Paharganj Zone and three toilets in Narela Zone have been painted pink in colour.

Officials said that not only will all the existing toilets be revamped and painted pink, all the future women’s toilets will also be pink for easy identification in a crowded space.

More to be revamped

NDMC Mayor Preety Agarwal said that 22 women toilet blocks in north Delhi have been spruced up, and more toilets will be revamped in the coming weeks.

“We took the decision to paint women’s toilet blocks pink as this colour symbolises womanhood and femininity. We have decided that all women’s toilets in the future will be developed in pink,” Ms. Agarwal added.

“For convenience of women, toilets exclusively for women have been developed by the north corporation, especially in market areas. This step will be a mile-stone towards the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Mission,” the Mayor said.

Ms. Agarwal has also ordered officials in-charge to make sure that female attendants are present in these toilets to make sure women feel safe while using them. “Cleanliness of these toilets is important, but what is also important is that women feel safe using them,” she added.

The initial idea of pink toilets for women was developed by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which is also working on converting more women’s toilets into specialised facilities.