Officials say that the caretakers charge more despite several notices issued to them.
Women have to pay Rs. 7 or Rs. 8 for using the urinals which are free for men at the Kempegowda Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus stand. While men are charged Rs. 5 to use the toilet facility, women are charged Rs. 7 or Rs. 8 depending on the caretaker.
Shwetha, who had to use the urinal at the bus stand said, “This system is unfair. But I had no choice, so I paid Rs.7.” The caretaker was eating her snacks in front of the toilet entrance which can affect her health also, she added.
“While my husband and son used the urinals for free, my daughter, sister and I had to pay Rs. 7 each,” complained a woman.
Sridevi, who was going to Raichur with her children, said, “I had to pay Rs. 7 so that my two-year-old son could use the ladies washroom. He is not old enough to use the men’s toilet on his own.”
Enkappa Hegde, who has the tender for maintaining toilets at platform 17, said that according to the rule, urinals are free for everyone and one has to pay Rs. 5 to use the toilet facility. “Men’s urinals and toilets are separate. While the urinals are free for them, we charge them Rs. 5 for using the toilets. Since, this is not the case for women, we collect Rs. 8 from them for using the washroom facility,” he said.
A caretaker from platform 17 said, “Women use water, but men don’t. That is why we charge women.”
Prabha, Assistant Traffic Manager at the Kempegowda bus stand, who is in charge of casual contract said, “We have asked the caretakers not to charge anyone for urinals. But they do it in spite of several notices. Since we can’t get enough staff, we are forced to continue with them.”
Dr. T.S. Latha, Public Relations Officer, KSRTC, said, “They are not supposed to charge like this. We will take necessary action against this discrimination.”
S. Manasi, Associate Professor, Centre for Research in Urban Affairs (CRUA) said, “This is not acceptable. The contractor can charge a minimal and equal amount from men and women for maintenance.” In her study, ‘Valuing Toilets: Towards Improved Access and Use of Toilets in Karnataka’, she mentions that a significant number of urban poor households do not have access to individual toilets and so are dependent on public toilets. She also said that most women have limited access to public toilets and are scared of contracting a urinary tract infection (UTI) while using them. “The differential charging can further discourage them from using public toilets,” she added.
Caretakers are the weakest links in the system, she said. “This is not a job that everyone wants to do. So, the authorities must be able to provide them with good equipment or technology,” she added.
