CUDDALORE: In a bid to ensure sensitivity towards women officers within the police force, the district police of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, installed sanitary pad vending machines at the 59 stations across the district. This initiative comes as a first of its kind in the state.
The inauguration of the project took place with installation of a sanitary pad vending machine at the District Police Office (DPO) in Cuddalore on Tuesday, February 17. M Sree Abhinav, Superintendent of Police, mentioned that 59 machines sponsored by the Sanmar group were installed at the DPO, armed reserve, 46 police stations, six all-women police stations and four traffic police stations across the district. He added that a vending machine has also been installed in a mobile toilet for women cops. At the inauguration, he talked about how he came up with this initiative after holding a discussion with the women police on the steps needed to be made to make the working space better for them.
A police official said that women police personal, especially those in constabulary ranks, are also deployed for law and order and bandobust duties during VIP visits, and that these officers face difficulty in procuring pads while they are on duty. Women will be able to obtain a single bio-degradable pad by depositing five rupees in the vending machine. The official added that the facility installed will hopefully ensure a conducive work environment for female police officers.