First-of-its-kind hygienic, secure restroom for women comes up in Baramulla

Baramulla, March 02: Female travelers in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district can now have a comfortable and hygienic experience at the General Bus Stand, thanks to the launch of the first-ever public restroom facility designed exclusively for women.
The facility boasts clean toilets, comfortable seating arrangements, a dedicated breastfeeding area, and a secure changing room for the convenience of the womenfolk.
President Municipal Council Baramulla Touseef Raina told Rising Kashmir that the initiative was his brainchild and was supported by several individuals and well-wishers including former Executive Officer MC Baramulla.
“The idea came to me after watching the womenfolk facing issues in the town. There was not a single restroom in the area till date. The Municipal Council of Baramulla is proud to offer this much-needed facility to female travelers from far and wide,” Touseef said. “The clean, secure, and private restroom is a simple yet effective step to ensure that every female traveler who wants to visit Baramulla has a relaxed and happy trip.”
The launch of this facility is expected to make travel for women in Baramulla a lot smoother, eliminating the concern of not having access to basic facilities while on the move.
The MC Baramulla president inaugurated the facility and hoped that the restroom will encourage other areas in Jammu & Kashmir to follow suit in offering such facilities to women.
He said the MC Baramulla repurposed a former ticket counter at the General Bus Stand to create a hygienic and secure restroom for womenfolk visiting the market. “The project was completed at a cost of Rs 15 lakh, and has been welcomed as a much-needed facility by the local community,” he added.
Raina said the restroom has been designed on modern lines to provide a clean and private space for female travelers from far and wide. “The facility includes toilets, seating arrangements, a breastfeeding area, a changing room, and a secured area for women,” he added.
He said the area will be made more secure by installing CCTV cameras in the first place and a female staffer will look after it besides taking care of sanitation and proper cleanliness.
The locals, especially women, hailed the move and said the facility will provide much-needed relief for women, who previously had limited access to basic facilities while traveling and shopping in the market.
Baramulla town is surrounded by dozens of areas from where women folk throng the market for shopping and office work.
“Thousands of female shoppers and working ladies visit the town on a daily basis besides the town has a women’s college, Girls Higher Secondary and has more than 12 schools. The student community needed the restroom to a great extent and I must say it’s a huge relief for us,” said Humaira, a student of Women’s College Baramulla.
She said the area had not a single restroom for females yet but the initiative taken by MC Baramulla is a welcome step.