Odisha to Get Its First Public Toilet for Transgender People

Odisha gets its first public toilet for transgenders, becoming the 5th state in India to take on this initiative.

Bhubaneswar becomes the third city to have a public toilet for the transgender community. 

(Photo: The Quint)

The smart city Bhubaneswar got its first public toilet for the transgender community. The construction of Odisha’s first transgender toilet was initiated by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA). Sonali, a local resident of the transgender community, welcomes the initiative.

We would like to thank the Indian government and the Odisha government. Odisha is the third state in the whole country to establish toilets for the third gender. Like they did in Bhubaneswar, it has to be set up in every district in the state. 

Sonali, Resident

Once constructed, Odisha would become the 5th state in India to have toilets for the transgender community. Maneka, another resident requests the government to construct such toilets for transgender people across the whole country.

We welcome the construction of the toilet. This should be set up in every state and station. It doesn’t make us happy when it’s built only in Bhubaneswar. Our communities reside in several areas. It’s unfair that we’re the only ones in our community to be benefited. Public toilets should be available to everyone in every state. If this happens we will feel great.

Maneka, Resident

Earlier, Punjab University, Mysore Municipal Corporation, Bhopal Municipal Corporation and Kochi Metro had built such toilets for the third gender. However, Bhubaneswar became the third city to have a public toilet for transgenders after Mysore and Bhopal.

An official from the Bhubaneswar Development Authority said that the government should cater to the demands of all sections of society. He said, “We have constructed a public toilet for transgender people. This is the first of its kind in Odisha. In India it's the third city to facilitate this. Our chief minister was constantly advising us on the steps to be taken to cater to the amenities requested by all sections of society”.