MARGAO: A group of citizens has slammed the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) for the non-functional sanitary pad dispensers installed in the town’s public toilets. They urged the MMC to immediately restore and maintain these units, and called for the installation of such units in all public toilets throughout the town.
According to the citizens, the sanitary pad dispensers were initially installed by the MMC around three years ago as a pilot project, at three key locations: the Council building toilet, a public toilet in the Municipal garden, and a public toilet at the bus stand, with significant fanfare surrounding their introduction.
Unfortunately, these units have remained non-functional for over a year, with no apparent efforts made to rectify the situation, lamented Lalan Parsekar, a Margao local. She said that an agency had been contracted by the Council three years ago to install and maintain the units for approximately one year. After this period, the Council was supposed to assume responsibility for the units and the refill system.
The dispenser includes a sanitary pad refill unit that dispenses fresh sanitary pads and another unit for disposing of used sanitary pads to be incinerated. The pad vending machines are intended to ease the difficulties faced by women during their monthly menstrual cycles, explained Dr Roslyn Pereira.
Dr Pereira criticised the Council’s apathy toward the needs of its female staff and visitors, particularly at the MMC building.
Former MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho slammed the alleged misappropriation of crores of public funds within the Council while vital amenities like functional sanitary pad dispensers, which cost only around Rs 25,000 each, are neglected.
