New Delhi, May 26: A new toilet policy approved by the Railway Board has now made it possible for condoms and sanitary pads being sold at toilet facilities both within and outside the railway stations for not only the passengers but also the people living in its vicinity.

This policy comes in the wake of the Railway Board taking note of the fact that due to lack of proper sanitation facilities in and around the station premises, those living in the vicinity, especially nearby slums and villages, were often found defecating in the open and urinating in station premises which made the surroundings unhygienic and resulted in health-related problems.

"In order to address these issues, the railways is utilising the station premises to set up facilities having separate toilets for men and women which will be utilised to build awareness for best practices of menstrual hygiene and usage of contraceptives as proposed."

Under the policy, each station would have two such facilities. One outside the station in the circulating area and another inside the station so that they can be used by people visiting the stations and also those living around them, free of cost.

The policy said each facility was to have separate toilets for men, women and Divyangjans with the provision of both Indian and Western style commodes in them. A requirement for funds to set up these facilities at all 8,500 stations would be met through CSR funds from different corporations and their maintenance would be ensured through advertisements/CSR, the policy stated.

"For maintaining the cleanliness of the toilets, three persons -- two sweepers (one male to clean toilets for men and divyangjans and one female for women toilets) and one supervisor -- will be engaged by the agency. Reputed NGOs will be engaged to build and operate the toilets (CSR support from corporates) with a maintenance contract," it said.

This is a welcome step by the Railway Board considering the complaints by passengers about the state of hygiene in toilets in Indian trains. That the Railways has taken note of outsiders using railway toilet facilities should allow it to formulate measures to handle the issue helping both the outsiders as well as those in the station premises. This would help curb the health related issues arising due to lack of cleanliness, as rightly acknowledged by the Board. Cleanliness in Indian trains and especially its toilets is a matter that needs urgent consideration and action by both, the Railway Board as well as the passengers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2018 05:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).