Women applicants visiting the Regional Transport Office (RTO) are facing a serious issue related to the lone unclean toilet block. There is only one toilet for women license applicants, most of whom have to spend hours together at the office to get their work done. Compared to women, the men can avail of two toilet blocks, both of which are unclean, with a foul smell emanating all over the place.
When DNA visited the spot, it found that women had to wait in queue during the first four days for their entry into the block. Similarly, women covering their nose with a handkerchief or a piece of cloth is a regular feature outside the toilet block. The women applicants expressed that there should be atleast three toilet blocks inside the RTO campus, taking into account the growing number of women applicants visiting the office for different types of works each day.
Roshni Shaikh, who had come to the RTO office for driving license related work said that she was appalled after seeing the condition of the toilets. " Pune is a growing city, and one of the largest metropolitan areas of Maharashtra. The womenfolk in the city are increasingly mobile, and keep visiting all government offices for their work. The RTO toilet is unclean and stinks. It seems that toilet block has not been cleaned for years together. The condition is deplorable, and shows that the RTO has no concern for issues related to cleanliness at the office , "she added.
Porinita Banerjee, a women professional said that more toilet blocks were needed at the RTO office, and also at all the government offices. "Clean toilet blocks and quality sanitation is the need of the hour. It is the duty of the government agencies to ensure that the citizens are provided with quality civic amenities. The applicants pay a good sum of money as fees to the government and expect quality service in return, which is the least one can expect from the administration", she added.
For Professor Sachin Kulkarni, the sight of the two toilet blocks at the RTO is a dismal. "What is the RTO doing to keep the toilets clean? There seems to be no cleaning being carried out at the toilet. The smell is foul and is all over the place. The authorities should wake from their deep slumber, and carry out cleaning work on a priority basis ," he said
Jitendra Patil, Pune Regional Transport Officer, said that efforts would be taken to ensure that quality amenities will be provided to the applicants. " We will see to it that the blocks are cleaned on a regular basis, and citizens won't have to face problems in the future," he added.
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