Bengaluru: It will be close to a year since BMTC announced that it would open lactation or breastfeeding rooms for mothers at major bus stations in the city. But the proposal is yet to see the light of day due to various reasons.
The initiative was announced in September 2017, but till today, there is no word about it. A senior BMTC officer said, “The idea came after we found that the mothers were finding it difficult to feed their newborns while travelling. The idea was the first in the country. We had planned to set up these rooms at all major stations in the city in the first phase and expand it later to all other stations across the city.”
He said, “We had informed the then transport minister and also the Women and Child Welfare Department, who appreciated the initiative. We had decided to split the cost, as BMTC did not have sufficient funds. The Women and Child Welfare Department included it under the Nirbhaya Fund programme, where the Centre provides a certain amount, while the rest is pooled in by the state government. They also wrote a letter to the central government seeking funds under the scheme, but we don’t know what happened after that.”
Another senior officer said that they did not hear from the authorities concerned about further progress on the initiative. The government also changed and several projects, including this one, were put on hold.
Asked if they would request the government for funds to launch the initiative, he said, “We had asked the transport department to give us financial support, but they claimed that they were short of funds. We will write to the government and also the Women and Child Welfare department, asking them to take a look at the proposal again. We want to make this initiative a reality, as it would set an example for other states to follow.”
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