MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA
Assistant sub-inspector Radhika BK has to stand at Thapathali for hours on end, trying to direct traffic at one of the busiest intersections in Kathmandu. She has no time for toilet break. Recently, during a medical checkup, BK discovered she had kidney stones. Doctors told her this was because she worked for long stretches without relieving herself.
“Whether it’s hot, cold, or raining, we have to do our job. The lack of toilets is our biggest concern when we are posted on duty,” says BK. However, her male colleagues do not face that problem. BK says she and her female colleagues have to work without breaks even when they have their periods.
Asha Singh, who works at the police hospital, says there is a greater chance of infection if women do not go to the toilet for long stretches. “It can lead to kidney stones and even renal failure,” says Singh. Inspector Chanchal Shrestha, who works at the Metropolitan Traffic Police Department, says many of her juniors have spoken to her about their predicament.
There are 155 female traffic police in the country, 90 of whom are stationed in Kathmandu. Other than the regular paid leave, which runs to 10 per cent of total work days, a two-month maternity leave, and emergency sick leaves, there are no other special facilities at work.
MTPD spokesperson Basanta Panta says it is difficult to relax duties just for female traffic police because facilities for both men and women are equal in the force. “The men will complain if we give special treatment to the women,” says Panta.