North Corporation to paint women's toilets pink

Taking a cue from the South civic body, North Delhi mayor Preeti Aggarwal on Saturday directed that all women's toilets under the North Corporation be painted pink. The move, which comes under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), is being implemented by civic bodies in areas under their jurisdiction.

Currently, the North civic body has over 400 women toilet blocks in its jurisdiction.

According to a report by the North Corporation on sanitation earlier this year, the civic body, which has over 800 toilet blocks under it, has built 50 women toilet seats over the last year, which became functional a few months ago.

Earlier this month, the South civic body had launched the first public 'Pink Toilet' equipped with a sanitary pad vending machine and incinerator. The toilet was launched in southwest Delhi's PVR Vikaspuri market on the International Day of the Girl Child.

While the three municipal corporations — North, South and East — under the SBM had announced opening toilets for women at public places and busy markets, this was the first to have a sanitary pad vending machine.

Earlier this year, the civic bodies had made toilets available in hotels and restaurants in its jurisdiction.

The corporations had received initial funds of Rs 120 crore in 2015 from the Centre under the SBM to build toilet blocks, besides other sanitation work. According to the SBM guidelines, at a distance of every kilometre, there must be a toilet complex.

The East Corporation which has 400 toilet blocks under it has built 70 new blocks under the mission.