AAP govt and centre directed to provide breastfeeding rooms in public places

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Centre, AAP government and other local authorities here to together work out a plan for providing separate rooms in public places and buildings for mothers to breastfeed in privacy. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao issued the direction after it was informed by the Centre that it has received no response from the states or various Union ministries or even the local authorities with regard to providing the facility to mothers.

"Let all stakeholders sit together and work out a plan for putting in place a facility of separate rooms (for breastfeeding) in all public places and buildings," the court said. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) told the court that there is no reference to such separate feeding rooms in the existing building bye-laws.

The DDA's submission prompted the bench to suggest to all the stakeholders to consider amending the bye-laws also and listed the matter for further hearing on July 2. The court was hearing a PIL filed on behalf of a mother and her newborn seeking facilities for breastfeeding in public places away from "censuring and dishonourable looks".

The plea, filed through advocate Animesh Rastogi, contends that not providing such facilities amounts to "hampering" women's right to privacy. The high court had earlier sought the stand of the Centre, Delhi government and civic authorities here on the plea for providing facilities to mothers to breastfeed in public places, observing that such spaces were being provided all over the world.

It had said the matter needed to be examined by all the land owning agencies and civic bodies and issued notice to the municipal bodies and Delhi Development Authority (DDA), apart from the Centre and the Delhi government. It had noted there were no facilities to breastfeed even in airports here.

(With inputs from agencies.)