Maharashtra has sanctioned Rs 9.77 crore to build separate toilets for transgender persons at state transport bus stands across all 31 divisions, addressing the lack of dedicated public sanitation facilities for transgender passengers. The approval was issued through a government resolution by the transport department on Wednesday.
The combined estimate approved under the resolution is Rs 9,76,63,195. The government document states that the absence of separate toilets forces transgender persons to face social and physical difficulties at bus stands and causes considerable distress.
The allocation covers the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation’s 31 divisions. In Vidarbha, nine divisions have been allotted about Rs 2.71 crore. Amravati received the largest allocation in the region at Rs 50.74 lakh, followed by Nagpur with Rs 48.40 lakh, Yavatmal with Rs 36 lakh, Buldhana with Rs 33.83 lakh and Bhandara with Rs 31.46 lakh.
Chandrapur has been allocated Rs 20.43 lakh, Akola Rs 19.48 lakh, Wardha Rs 16.94 lakh and Gadchiroli Rs 13.75 lakh. Across the state, Kolhapur division received the highest allocation at Rs 55.20 lakh, while Latur received the lowest at Rs 9.60 lakh.
The proposal was submitted by the ST corporation’s vice-chairperson and managing director. The resolution followed a direction from the minister of state holding the urban development, transport and social justice portfolios, among others, for the transport department to issue approval without delay.
The funding will come from the social justice department’s allocation for establishing a welfare board for transgender persons and protecting their rights. This links the construction programme to the state’s broader welfare and rights-related spending rather than to the ST corporation’s regular operating budget.
The government resolution requires architects to approve the layout and detailed plans before construction begins. A detailed estimate must also be prepared, and the concerned executive engineer must provide technical sanction before work can proceed.
However, the resolution does not specify the number of toilets to be built or identify the individual bus stands where they will be located. Its annexure lists lump-sum allocations for each ST division. The next implementation steps are therefore the preparation and approval of designs, detailed estimates and technical sanctions for the works.
