NGO Demands Toilets and Rest Rooms for Panvel Women Sanitation Workers
On July 17, 2026, the Stree Shakti Foundation submitted a formal representation to the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) demanding basic amenities, including dedicated rest rooms, toilets, and changing facilities, for women sanitation workers in Panvel. The initiative aims to protect the health, privacy, and dignity of hundreds of women employed in the local sanitation workforce.
The demand was presented directly to PMC Commissioner Mangesh Chitale by Vijaya Chandrakant Kadam, the founder of the Stree Shakti Foundation. The organization highlighted that while the civic body strives to secure top rankings in the Swachh Survekshan cleanliness survey, the basic welfare of the women who keep the city clean remains neglected.
According to the memorandum, hundreds of women sanitation workers across the PMC limits begin their duties before dawn every day. They sweep roads, clean markets, and maintain public spaces and government office premises under all weather conditions. Despite their critical contribution to public health, they lack essential facilities at their designated work locations.
The foundation pointed out that at many attendance booths, male and female sanitation workers are forced to share the same spaces. As a result, female workers have no private areas to change their clothes, store personal belongings, or take short breaks. This lack of dedicated toilets and changing rooms causes severe hardship, particularly during menstruation or when workers fall ill on duty and have no private space to rest.
To address these issues, the Stree Shakti Foundation has urged the PMC to immediately provide separate and secure rest rooms, dedicated changing rooms, and clean, exclusive toilets for women. Additional demands include continuous access to safe drinking water, secure storage facilities for personal belongings, and a designated space for temporary rest.
Kadam emphasized that the contributions of these workers should be recognized through practical measures rather than just appreciation events or speeches. She stated that providing safe, dignified, and humane working conditions is a social investment and a constitutional obligation to uphold the dignity, privacy, and safety of the women who guard the city's public health.
The foundation expressed hope that the PMC administration would review the demands positively and make a prompt decision to improve working conditions.
