HYDERABAD: Girl students at English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) - Hyderabad do not have to worry or go to nearby stores if they run out of sanitary napkins as a Sanitary Napkin Vending Machine and an incinerator has been procured by the university.
It will be placed in women’s hostel premises. In case of Osmania University (OU), officials have passed instructions to buy the machines. EFLU’s vice chancellor VC Suresh Kumar said that the decision to purchase more machines will be decided on the basis of the current ones’ performance. The machines were procured from HLL Lifecare Limited - Government of India’s Public Sector enterprise.
A sanitary napkin vending machine has been already installed at Engineering College two-years ago, said OU’s VC S Ramachandram. “On Tuesday, I gave instructions to procure more,” he said. University of Hyderabad is in the process of procuring vending machines for nine of its hostels and two upcoming ones.
Girl students studying at universities said that at times they have irregular periods and in such situations, they either borrow it from their friends or rush to shops which are located far away from their hostels. This makes the process of buying the product a task. The problem becomes acute in case of universities which are spread across vast acres of land.
“The machines will be of help as sometimes the shops in EFLU campus are closed,” said Torsa Saha, a PhD Scholar at EFLU.Vending machines should be placed at other places in the varsity too. Some students said that hostels and few departments in the University of Hyderabad are separated by around two kms and that the machines should not be limited to hostels but should be made available at other places in the universities.
“It would be helpful if they are placed at canteens, libraries, reading rooms which are open round-the-clock and also in labs and departments. Many science students work till late in the night in their departments,” said Aparna Vincent, a PhD scholar at UoH. Officials from UoH sought time to check if steps are taken to procure the machines.
UGC officials requested V-Cs to buy the machines
The steps were initiated after University Grants Commission’s (UGC) officials requested vice chancellors of all universities to consider buying the machines. The bills can be included under Solid Waste Management component of Swachh Bharat Mission. One set of machinery costs around L49,646
In a letter sent to VCs of all universities, UGC’s secretary Dr Jaspal S Sandhu stressed on promoting
proper disposal of menstrual waste