The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited to build 125 Hirkani Rooms at bus stands across the state over three financial years, creating dedicated spaces for breastfeeding mothers and childcare.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, and Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, were also present, according to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai.
The Hirkani Rooms are intended to provide lactating mothers with a clean, safe and private space to care for their babies while travelling. The initiative is aimed at addressing a basic gap in public transport infrastructure: the availability of facilities that allow women to manage infant care during long-distance or intercity journeys.
Under the agreement, Toyota Kirloskar Motor will support the project through its corporate social responsibility programme. The rooms will be installed at MSRTC bus stands across Maharashtra and will have an approximate size of 3 metres by 3 metres. The arrangement is intended to make the facilities available within existing bus-stand environments rather than treating childcare provision as separate from transport infrastructure.
The proposed rooms will include furniture, electrical installations and electronic equipment required for their use. The details released in the report do not specify the bus stands where the first rooms will be installed, the sequence in which locations will be selected, or the operating and maintenance arrangements after construction.
For women travelling with infants, the availability of a private room can affect whether a bus journey is practical and comfortable. Bus stands are often points where passengers wait between services, change buses or spend extended periods during intercity travel. Providing a designated room at these locations links passenger amenities with the wider question of how public transport systems serve different users.
The project also places responsibility across two institutions: MSRTC will provide the transport-system setting in which the rooms are established, while Toyota Kirloskar will contribute through CSR funding and support. Its implementation will therefore depend on the selection of suitable bus stands, installation of the rooms and the availability of the promised facilities over the three-year period. The agreement announced by MSRTC does not yet provide a location-wise rollout schedule or a completion date for individual rooms.
