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NEW DELHI: Women and children can use toilets and washrooms of any hotel and restaurant located in South Delhi areas for free from Monday. The unique initiative to provide relief to women who have to tolerate pain due to lack of sufficient number of public toilets was announced in February 2017. It was likely to be in place from April 1, but was delayed due to municipal elections.

The restaurants association of India and the hoteliers have, interestingly, welcomed the decision and said that they stand for the dignity of women. Initially the idea was to allow everybody to use the toilets of hotels and restaurants, but the hotel and restaurants associations agreed to allow women and children only.

Riyaaz Amlani , president of the Restaurants Association of India said: “We stand for the dignity of women. The lack of sufficient number of public toilets in marketplaces has them tolerate pain. We will allow all women and children to use our facilities.”

There are around 35,000 restaurants and hotels in South Delhi areas.

The facility is unconditional except any security concern of the owners of hotels and restaurants. “We will not allow women with arms,” said Amlani. The owners will take a call on whether to allow women to use the toilets located in bars, especially at night, if there are too many stags present inside the bar for the safety of the women.

“By making the announcement we have renewed our commitment for Swachh Baharat Mission. The facility will be reviewed on the basis of the feedback, concerns and practical difficulties faced by the hotels and restaurants in due course,” an SDMC official said.

The SDMC sat down to give a practical shape to the decision after L-G Anil Baijal advised the civic body to provide access to toilets of restaurants and hotels for free keeping in view the safety and security of women in the markets. A series of meetings between the corporation authorities and the representatives of the restaurants and hotels association were held to give final shape to the plan.

The restaurants and hotels will now display a notice outside their establishments that their toilets are available for free use by women and children.

The trend-setting decision has elated women. “It is a bold decision by the civic body because all the public places have insufficient number of toilets in Delhi. It will take away the concerns women have in mind before they step out to visit marketplaces,” said Sarika Agnihotry, a management professional.

SDMC commissioner Puneet Kumar Goel told TOI: “The corporation will issue a public notice besides putting up notices in marketplaces to inform the public about the facility.”

Initially, the idea was to allow pay and use and also to allow male to use the facility, but after certain objections by the restaurants and hotels associations the right to admission was given to women and children only.

The decision is likely to influence North Delhi and East Delhi municipal corporations to take a similar initiative.

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