Now, women police personnel on bandobust duty during protests, rallies and public meetings, need not have to scout in the vicinity for toilets.
The Telangana police have procured state-of-the-art mobile restrooms and toilets for women personnel.
Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, on Friday, rolled out 17 mobile toilets, which will help “boost the performance of women officers on outdoor duties”.
“The government and the department have given special emphasis to women’s safety and health. Due to the inconvenience and health issues faced by women police officers during bandobust duties, the government has sanctioned mobile restrooms and toilets,” Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy said.
The vehicles will be deployed during Medaram jatara, and eventually, the number will be increased to 25, he said.
According to a senior officer, there are around 3,000 women police personnel in the State, and when they are deployed on bandobust duties, many do not drink water due to the fear of having to look for toilets.
“There are instances when women officers fainted while performing outdoor duties, especially in summer, as they don’t consume enough water fearing lack of toilets. But, now we have come up with a solution,” said IGP (Law and Order) and in-charge of women’s safety Swati Lakra.
She said that mobile wash rooms were the need of the hour for women police force in the State with recruitments going on.
“This is the basic facility that has to be provided and will go a long way. Soon, eight more mobile wash rooms will be rolled out and our idea is to have one vehicle in each district,” Ms. Lakra said.
She said that State Police is committed towards the safety of people and the welfare of its personnel, especially women officers.
The vehicles, which are procured through e-tender, have state-of-the-art amenities, including two toilets (Indian and western), a wash room, a changing room and two wash basins fitted with a water tank, which can be used by 100 individuals per fill. Each salon is equipped with cross flow air ventilation to enable fresh air and eliminate bad odour in the cabin, the officer said.
Earlier, Mr. Ali said that the government gave top priority to the police department and women’s safety in the State of Telangana, and as a result, the crime rate has come down. He said that each bus costs ₹29 lakh.
