The first toilet for the third gender was integrated by the New Delhi Municipal Council, opposite Shastri Bhawan on June 28 and also plans to construct more such complexes. The building built near the Press Club of India parking under the Swachh Bharat Mission was inaugurated by members of the transgender community in the presence of NDMC chairman Dharmendra.
The project was taken up as a part of 2021's budget and was constructed on a pilot basis.
The civic body Secretary, Mr BM Mishra said: “There is an online feedback machine and register for opinions regarding any additions or up-gradation of the facility. Since the feedback machine is integrated with the Control and Command Centre, it will be automatically forwarded to NDMC."
"Based on the feedback, we will take up work at other sites and integrate the requested changes,” he added.
Toilet to open from 6 am to 10 pm.
The complex will have toilet facilities for regular users as well and also for specially-abled persons and will open from 6 am till 10 pm.
The NDMC official said that the complex has been developed on a private-public partnership basis and 'the concessionaire will be responsible for the maintenance.'
The Delhi government in February had notified all its departments, offices, district authorities, municipal corporations and Delhi Police to organise separate washrooms exclusively for transgender people.
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The order passed also stressed that the trans person should be able to continue to utilise the gender-based toilets according to their self-identified gender.
Delhi government agencies had two years to maximum time to build these exclusive toilets.
In 2014, the Supreme Court had given the transgender community the stature of the "third gender" and also directed the establishment of separate toilets for them in public places, including hospitals.
Slow progress in matters relating to the transgender community
Although the NDMC action has been appreciated by the trans community, its members are upset that the SC's orders are being implemented at a very slow speed.
Abhina Aher, a transgender activist and founding member of Transgender Welfare Equity and Empowerment Trust, said, “We welcome the move by the NDMC because we know how difficult it is for people like us to access public urinals." She adds that when trans people use women's toilets people pass rude comments and the attendants aren’t happy to let them in.
Rupika Dhillon, chairman of, Society for People’s Awareness Care and Empowerment, is quite happy about the installation and feels that the toilet complex will create a safe room for transgenders.
“I am glad that at least some department/civic body has taken the lead and implemented the direction on exclusive toilets for the community. More should be built because it is their fundamental right,” Dhillon said.
Another activist, Anjan Joshi said that one toilet in a big city like Delhi is just like a token, however, calling it a ray of hope for the community.
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Citing the show progress in matters creating to the transgender population, because the trans community has no vote bank, Sowmaya Gupta, a transgender activist, said, “Lutyens’ Delhi is not the entire Delhi. The NDMC area is a posh one, much of it with government offices. I think we should look beyond Lutyens’ Delhi and create facilities in other parts of the city where they are sorely required.”