MP: Transgender community demands separate washrooms, benefits of PM Awas Yojana in Indore

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 28 (ANI): Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) held a workshop to understand the sanitation and cleanliness needs of transgender communities on Monday and the trans community expressed their demand of separate washrooms and to be benefitted with PM Awas Yojana.
Additional Commissioner of Indore Municipal Corporation said that the changes which were within their reach regarding the sanitation issue, they would make efforts to resolve it.
"Under 'Safai Apnao Bimari Bhagao' Campaign (Adopt cleanliness, get rid of diseases), we are engaging different types of stakeholders. In this episode, today, we organised a workshop to understand the sanitation and cleanliness needs of transgender communities. We are identifying the issues which are community-specific, and then we will put it up on different forums. The things which are in the immediate reach of the Corporation regarding making changes for sanitation will be addressed," Abhilash Mishra told reporters.
The officer further stated that they would explore all possible ways to resolve the sanitation issue for the trans community and make the necessary changes to the public washrooms accordingly.
"The transgender community said that the enclosure (washrooms) should be a bit specific so that they can be more comfortable to access the sanitation. We have noted down their demand and we will do what best we can to the public washrooms and sanitation space as per the locations. Some changes have already been made but they have demanded for some separate enclosures, therefore we will explore space constraints and what type of washroom can be allowed to the locations and based on it, we will make changes," he added.

A Trans individual, who is the Manager of Mera Kunba Shelter Home in Indore and also the brand ambassador of Swachh Indore, Sandhya Ghavri, said that the Corporation held a workshop here to raise awareness about the transgender community and their needs.
"Today, we had a meeting with officials of Indore Municipal Corporation about how to connect the transgender community to the facilities of the corporation, be it these Awas facilities, employment or the facilities of shelter homes. Firstly, people are not aware about the transgender community; neither aware about Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and NALSA (National Legal Services Authority) judgment of 2014. Even government officials do not know about these things, therefore, a workshop was held here so that we could guide the transgender community towards a better society," Sandhya Ghavri told reporters.
"We demand that transgender community should be added among the beneficiaries of PM Awas Yojana, shelter homes facilities should be prepared and transgender toilets should be prepared for them as we feel very uncomfortable when using ladies or gents toilets. We also face discrimination. We want this discrimination to be reduced and everyone can live with dignity," Ghavri concluded. (ANI)