Maharashtra has sanctioned Rs 9.77 crore to provide separate toilets for transgender persons at state transport bus stands across the state, addressing a gap in public infrastructure that has forced users to face social and physical difficulties while travelling.
The approval was issued through a government resolution by the transport department on Wednesday. It covers a combined estimate of Rs 9,76,63,195 across 31 divisions of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. The proposal was submitted by the corporation’s vice-chairperson and managing director after the minister of state handling urban development, transport and social justice, among other portfolios, directed the department to approve it without delay.
The government resolution records that the absence of separate toilet facilities at bus stands causes considerable distress to transgender persons and creates social and physical challenges. The new allocation is intended to address that shortfall within one of the state’s most widely used public transport networks.
In Vidarbha, nine ST divisions have together been allocated about Rs 2.71 crore. Amravati has received the largest allocation in the region, at Rs 50.74 lakh, followed by Nagpur with Rs 48.40 lakh. Yavatmal has been allocated Rs 36 lakh, Buldhana Rs 33.83 lakh and Bhandara Rs 31.46 lakh. The allocations for Chandrapur, Akola, Wardha and Gadchiroli are Rs 20.43 lakh, Rs 19.48 lakh, Rs 16.94 lakh and Rs 13.75 lakh, respectively.
Across Maharashtra, the Kolhapur division has received the highest allocation at Rs 55.20 lakh, while Latur has received the lowest at Rs 9.60 lakh. The resolution provides division-wise lump-sum allocations, but does not specify the number of toilets to be built or identify the individual bus stands where they will be constructed.
The funding will come from the social justice department’s budget for establishing a welfare board for transgender persons and protecting their rights. This places the expenditure within a broader welfare and rights framework rather than treating the facilities solely as a transport infrastructure expense.
The sanction also sets out administrative and technical conditions before construction begins. Architects must approve the layouts and detailed plans, a detailed estimate must be prepared, and the concerned executive engineer must provide technical sanction. These steps are required before the works can move from allocation to implementation.
The resolution therefore establishes the funding and administrative approval, while the exact scale and distribution of construction remain to be detailed through the plans and estimates. The next stage will depend on the preparation of those documents and the technical approvals required for work at the identified ST bus stands.
