Chennai: Inaugurated with much fanfare around four years ago, public breastfeeding rooms in 39 bus termini across Chennai are now dysfunctional. Despite being located in prominent spaces, the facilities are not functional.
With World Breastfeeding Week beginning tomorrow, in a bid to see how the public spaces in the city copes with women to feed their children, News Today takes a tour of the facilities started by Tamilnadu government in 2015.
When this correspondent visited major termini in the city, the breastfeeding room was found locked or not present in a few major spots.
Stop 1 – T Nagar bus terminus
The facility was locked with a board hanging there stating that the key was available with the time-keeper. This reporter was made to walk back and forth when she asked the authorities about the key.
“Visit the office on the opposite side,” said the person at the time-keeping desk.
The man in the office began rummaging for the key and after a while spotted it among the hundred things in his draw and handed it over.
A mother visiting the room will be in for a surprise. Dusty room, expired water can and a tap where water does not flow in the bathroom- this is the condition.
Responding to the pathetic condition, sources admitted that the housekeeping staff do not clean it every day. “The facility is not being used. We will ask the workers to clean the room,” an official added.
Stop 2 – Saidapet bus terminus
“The room is located at the far-end, but it is locked. The timekeeper is expected to come back to duty in 30 minutes,” informed an official.
He further stated that no woman had asked for the key since the time he got transferred to the terminus: which is, three months ago. And no one comes to clean the room either. “Only the breastfeeding room located at CMBT is fully functional,” he informed.
Unfortunately, the room in Saidapet, visible from two sides, has been stuck with posters from top to bottom.
Stop 3 and 4 – Guindy and Tambaram bus termini
Being one of the key spots for commuters coming from different parts of the city, it is a surprise that there is no breastfeeding room in Guindy and Tambaram bus termini that sees the highest footfall of travellers in Chennai. The officials present in the respective termini confirmed that there was no breastfeeding room in the place. Several women in the bus termini were unaware of such a convenience as a breastfeeding room.
Speaking about the poor patronage, a spokesperson from Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) said, “Thirty two rooms are maintained by Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the rest come under our control. Only the space is provided by MTC. In the suburban areas, even the space is provided by the local bodies.”
Asked about the condition at Adyar bus terminus that comes under the purview of the transport corporation, the official said, “The bus stand is located in the end-route and not many passengers walk up to the bus stand. This may be the reason for poor patronage.” Multiple calls made to GCC authorities evoked no response.
Several women in the bus termini are unaware of the presence of breastfeeding rooms and the big question that we have to ask is if our tax money is being used rightly. In all the places, the MTC officials informed that they have not carried out any awareness programme on the presence of the centres.
The programme was launched by the then Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, for the welfare of mothers to feed their babies in privacy and comfort. It is evident that the facility has lost its glory.
Doctors’ Association of Social Equality secretary Dr Shanthi, said, “I travel around the State and in several places I have noticed the facilities with broken doors that deprive of privacy and being misused by anti-social elements. In the absence of a proper room, travelling mothers would prefer feeding their baby formula milk that lack the nutrients present in the natural secretion. It is the duty of the government to ensure that patronage of the breastfeeding room is increased.”