THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a move towards making the city more safer for women, a slew of initiatives have been planned by the government. One such facility was 'Ente Koodu', offering overnight stay facility for women who travel during emergencies. It was set up by the Social Justice Department under their welfare scheme. Situated in the eighth floor of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) terminal complex at Thampanoor, the facility has been offering a wide range of facilities free of cost. A similar initiative 'She Lodge' by the city corporation aims to provide cost-effective stay for women and children arriving at Sreekanteswaram. With the identification of issues such as lack of proper toilet facilities for women, the corporation has planned to set up four women-friendly shelters in various parts of the city.
The project is jointly prepared by the Town Planning and Public Works Standing Committees. The corporation has set aside Rs 4.75 crore for the project. "We have received good feedback from the She Lodge facility at Sreekanteswaram. This is why we decided to extend the facility in other parts of the city, " said Mayor V K Prasanth.
The She Lodge at Kazhakootam will be set up behind the zonal office of the corporation and another will be located at Attukal ward. An amount of Rs 2 crore has been set aside for the initiative. The construction work will begin next week.
The women shelters will include a cloak room, breast-feeding rooms and toilets. The shelters at Kazhakootam and Attukal will have a 50- bed facility with a kitchen and library. Among the proposed four shelters, one will come up at the Gandhi Park, opposite the Sree Padmanabha theatre and the second shelter at Kesavadasapuram inside Kedaram shopping complex owned by Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (TRIDA). The third shelter will be at the Medical College- Chalakkuzhy road and the fourth at Pattom. The tender will be called for the project this month.