Setting Example For Inclusivity: Madurai City Corporation Sets Up Restrooms For Third Gender
|The Madurai Civic Body would construct exclusive restrooms for the third gender community and all differently-abled people in all public toilets. The first new toilet complex would come up near Meenakshi Amman temple.
The Madurai City Corporation has decided to make exclusive toilets for the third gender and specially-abled persons alongside any public restrooms they construct. The first such exclusive toilet would come up near Meenakshi Amman temple, and the civic body has also announced that all the public toilets would be made free of charge within the city limits.
Corporation Commissioner KP Karthikeyan said that the civic body would provide provisions for the transgender community in all the public washrooms in the city henceforth.
Inclusive Public Spaces To Encourage Visitors
The Times of India reported that the civic body has also proposed setting up newer public toilets in Matthuthavani fish market and Tamukkam grounds after the minister of the municipal corporation announced making public toilets in dilapidated structures.
The corporation would undertake the renovation of existing public restrooms based on the recommendations of the councillors. The toilet complexes at Periyar bus terminal, Meenakshi Amman temple, and Subramaniya Swamy temple at Thiruparankundram would be free-of-charge toilets.
Previous Initiative By Tiruchi City Corporation
The objective behind the initiative is to make public spaces inclusive for the residents and visitors. The Tiruchi City Corporation had previously set up a trans-friendly public toilet at the central bus stand, and it was considered the first in the state and had cost nearly ₹ 9.8 lakhs. The Tiruchi civic body also never collected any charges for the visitors and appointed a person to maintain the public toilets for men, women, and transgender people.
However, the corporation had faced several issues regarding the maintenance and upkeep of the public restrooms. It was open to voluntary organizations that worked for the rights of the third gender to maintain the facility. The Madurai City Corporation has made no such announcement in this regard.