On Sunday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) made an announcement that all existing toilets located at metro station premises which were previously meant only for differently-abled people, will now be made accessible to persons from the transgender community. The move is aimed at enabling transgender passengers avail ‘unhindered’ access to toilets at stations. In a statement to the press, the DMRC said, “In its efforts to provide safe space and prevent gender discrimination against transgenders, DMRC has designated its existing toilets meant only for Divyanjans so far, to be accessible for the transgenders too.”
To guide them to the correct facilities, bilingual signage (English and Hindi) along with symbols for both—Persons with Disabilities and Transgender persons—have been installed adjacent to these toilets. DMRC officials further added that any transgender person who would like to continue to avail of gender-based facilities (as per how they identify), can continue to do so, despite the newly-provided amenities.
This news comes as a welcome change, following the community’s demands for separate toilets across the national capital. Presently, there are 347 toilets exclusive to the community, in addition to the regular toilets for other passengers, at its station.
The corporation also took to social media to post about its latest initiative. They tweeted: “To ensure that transgender passengers travelling by the Delhi Metro get access to toilets at stations, DMRC has made the provision of allowing them access to separate toilets, which were meant for Divyanjans. To read more about this initiative click here: http://bit.ly/DMRC-Toilets”