MSRTC to set up breastfeeding rooms

For mothers who breastfeed their babies,the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation is setting up special feeding rooms at bus stations.

For mothers who breastfeed their babies,the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) is setting up special feeding rooms at bus stations. These rooms will be called Hirkani Kaksh where mothers can breastfeed their babies in privacy and save themselves from embarrassment.

In the first phase of the project,MSRTC will set up these rooms at all stations situated at district and taluka headquarters. The state transport utility operates its fleet of over 16,000 buses in around 17,000 routes every day and has the capacity to ferry over 65 lakh commuters. However,none of its 580 bus stops has an enclosed waiting room for passengers. They have to wait for buses on benches in the open space.

Deepak Kapoor,Managing Director,MSRTC said,We noticed that it was quite a traumatic experience for mothers when they travel and need to feed babies while waiting at the bus stand. For many,it could be very embarrassing to breastfeed babies in the open space. We decided to set up these rooms where only mothers carrying young babies would be allowed to rest. The rooms will have comfortable seats.

MSRTC spokesperson Mukund Dhus said that these special waiting rooms will be called Hirkani Kaksh after the legendary Hirkani,believed to have lived in the Western Ghats over 400 years ago and who,according to folklore,is believed to have scaled a 1,000-ft vertical cliff to feed her baby inside a fortified city when she accidentally got locked out of the fort.

The project would be implemented at about 300 bus stations in district and taluka headquarters. The 8X10 ft rooms will be ready by the end of May, said Dhus.

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories