The Maharashtra state transport department has granted administrative approval to a proposal worth Rs. 97.66 mn for constructing separate toilets for transgender persons at State Transport bus stations across six regional divisions. The facilities are intended to address difficulties faced by transgender people while using public transport.

The toilets will be developed at bus stations in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati and Nagpur. The project will therefore cover major transport locations across the state and provide dedicated facilities for members of the transgender community.

The government resolution followed an initiative by Maharashtra minister of state for transport Madhuri Misal, who directed the concerned departments to expedite approval of the proposal. The decision was based on the absence of separate toilet facilities at State Transport bus stations and the resulting social and physical difficulties for transgender passengers, particularly during travel.

Misal instructed the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to make provisions for separate toilets at bus stations across the state. The department said the facilities would enable transgender persons to access and move through public places with dignity.

The corporation submitted the proposal to the state government on February 10 and September 22. The administrative approval now allows the proposed construction programme to proceed across the six identified regional divisions, although the resolution did not provide a specific completion timeline or details of the allocation for individual bus stations.