The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Toyota Kirloskar Motor to build 125 Hirkani Rooms at bus stands across the state over three financial years, creating private spaces for breastfeeding mothers and infant care during journeys.
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 Loksatta.
The Hirkani Rooms are intended to provide lactating mothers with clean, safe and private spaces to care for their babies while travelling through MSRTC bus stations. The initiative is being positioned as a passenger-facility measure focused on the safety, health and dignity of women using the state transport network.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor will support the project through its corporate social responsibility programme. Under the agreement, ready-made rooms measuring approximately 3 metres by 3 metres will be installed at bus stands across Maharashtra.
The proposed rooms will include space for infant care along with furniture, electrical fittings and electronic equipment. The reported agreement does not specify the individual bus stands where the first rooms will be installed, the district-wise allocation of the 125 units, or the exact schedule for completion of each phase.
The project places a specific care facility within the public transport system, where passengers may spend time waiting between services or transferring to other buses. For mothers travelling with infants, the availability of a dedicated room at a bus stand is intended to address the need for privacy and basic care during a journey.
The initiative will be implemented across three financial years, with Toyota Kirloskar Motor providing CSR-based assistance and MSRTC providing the institutional setting through its bus-stand network. Further details on the rollout plan, operating responsibility, maintenance arrangements and the opening dates of individual Hirkani Rooms were not provided in the reported announcement.
