E-Paper
Palghar railway station to soon get a special cubicle for breastfeeding
Construction work on the cubicle began on Wednesday, the last day of World Breastfeeding Week. WR is collaborating with Mira Road-based NGO Child Help Foundation for the project.
The Western Railway (WR) has decided to construct a cubicle at Palghar railway station where motheres can nurse children. This will be the first such centre in the Mumbai suburban section, said WR officials.
Construction work on the cubicle began on Wednesday, the last day of World Breastfeeding Week. WR is collaborating with Mira Road-based NGO Child Help Foundation for the project.
“We have the area of 25-sqft for the cubicle at Palghar station. It will be built at a cost of ₹2 lakh and we expect it to be complete by September 7. There are also plans to construct 14 similar centres at other stations between Mumbai and Dahanu,” said Santosh Ranar, one of the contractors of the project. “By constructing this cubicle, WR will fulfil a long-standing demand by women to have a separate space for breastfeeding so new mothers get privacy,” said Sunil Kumar, divisional regional manager, WR.
According to Railway sources, the Women and Child Development (WCD) ministry had written to the Railway ministry a few years ago, asking all zonal heads to provide such a space to new mothers. “We will also conduct breastfeeding awareness campaigns in the suburban section during the week,” added Kumar.
