Five sanitary pad vending machines at LU still ‘defunct’

Students of Lucknow University often complain about the poor upkeep of five sanitary pad vending machines installed in toilets on the campus.

While most departments lack a vending machine, the ones that do allegedly seldom refill it or keep it locked.

The ideal process to access a sanitary pad is when a student inserts the required amount of money into the slot a pad is meant to slide out from a slot marked “Collect here”. However, several students claim that sanitary pads are either not available when they need them, or the machines are out of order.

“We do not think of these vending machines as a resource during an emergency. Rather, we have become accustomed to asking friends for or carry extra pads ourselves despite our college having this amenity,” said a second-year student who claimed that she has never seen the vending machines in operational state.

Another student said, “Some of the toilets themselves are in such a bad state that often we choose to go to different department buildings to find a better toilet. Had pads been available, some of us students would have used them, but that option is also not there.”

Students from fine arts, geology and commerce departments attested to suffering similar problems.

Some of the lavatories where these vending machines were installed in December 2022 are in psychology, biochemistry and sociology departments, the women’s common room and Gate No. 4.

A status check of the five vending machines conducted by this reporter over a few months—once when exams were underway, once during regular classes and another done a day before Menstrual Hygiene Day on Tuesday—corroborated the students’ claims.

A student said his batchmates had even been threatened with ‘disciplinary action’, such as losing hostel allotments, if they continued to raise the issue with university officials. Dean of students’ welfare Sangeeta Sahu, who looks after such issues, said all machines were repaired and refilled after this reporter’s status check in April. “If the current situation at departments is different, then that is the responsibility of the particular department heads,” she said.

She clarified that the university has five vending machines and five incinerators. However, the students spoken to for this story were not aware of the incinerators.

In April, she had said she wasn’t aware of the students’ complaints regarding the vending machines since she had recently taken over as the dean of students’ welfare.

Amit Mehrotra, a programme manager at UNICEF Uttar Pradesh who runs #RedDot campaign to raise awareness on menstrual hygiene, said, “Young people and students can play a key role in advocating for a ‘period-friendly world’ and ending the stigma around periods. Safe and dignified menstruation is a right for women and girls.”