Tourists need women-friendly facilities on Beach Road in Puducherry
The Hindu
Growing demand for women-friendly facilities on Puducherry's Beach Road due to lack of privacy for breastfeeding and freshening up.
With flow of tourists to Puducherry on the rise, there is a growing demand to provide women-friendly facilities especially on the Beach Road where hundreds of visitors gather during weekends.
Apart from adequate toilets, women tourists are concerned about lack of proper places with privacy for breastfeeding and freshening up on the Beach Promenade area. “We have been hearing from women visiting the Beach Road about lack of proper toilets and facility for breastfeeding. They also complain about lack of places where they could freshen up,” said a policeman on beat duty near the Beach.
He said young mothers find it uncomfortable to feed their baby in public places. They either use a long towel or use the premises inside shops on the Beach Promenade for breastfeeding. The policeman also pointed out to the grievances of tourists related to lack of places for women to freshen up.
“Nowadays, many tourists use the beach opposite the Chief Secretariat to have a dip in the sea. They often ask us about availability of cloak rooms near the Beach Road,” he said.
According to a tour operator, one of the main complaints of women tourists coming to Puducherry was about unsafe and unhygienic toilets in the beach areas, particularly on the Beach Road. The Tourism Department could address the issue by setting up exclusive shelters for women tourists in important places. The Beach Road shelter could house a toilet, breastfeeding area and a cloak room, he added.
Commissioner, Puducherry Municipality, M. Kandasamy told The Hindu that currently an enclosure has been provided inside Bharathi Park near the side of Nehru Statue for feeding babies. “The issue with the shelter inside the park is that it is not easily visible for tourists. We will be putting signages to inform tourists about the facilities for young mothers soon. We will also consider putting up more shelters for breastfeeding if necessary in the beach area,” he said.
As far toilet facilities were concerned, he said the Local Administration Department was considering ways to improve the condition of existing toilets on the Beach Road. The Municipality was also exploring various options for proper maintenance of the toilets, he added.
The first Asian Geriatric Oncology Society Conference, organised by Geri Care Hospital, began in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday (September 28, 2024) as part of the Geri Care Geriatrics Conclave 2024, themed ‘Geriatrics Beyond the Boundaries’. This two-day event will conclude on Sunday (September 29, 2024).