Pathasathi – West Bengal

Introduction

With a view to paying attention to the sufferings of the people, especially the ladies, bereft of any public toilet while on their journey by road, which is that the minimum requirement of a civilised society this Government is constructing "PATHASATHI (consisting of Pay & use the rest room, lounge, Night shelter and Restaurant under one roof) at every 50 k.m. of National Highway, expressway and Other important roads throughout the State. 31 (Thirty-one) nos. of such "PATHASATHI" are being constructed by this Department and these are in several stages of construction. Out of 31 nos., with the Financial Assistance of the Housing Department, structure Department is constructing 12(Twelve) nos. at an estimated cost Rs. 6.5088 Cr. Rest 19(Nineteen) nos. Are being constructed by the Housing Directorate at an estimated cost Rs. 37.31 Cr.

The project consists of developing wayside facilities for travellers on national and state highways and other important roads, named ‘Pathasathi’, travel by self-help groups, societies, West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (WBTDC) or certain designated agencies. Each of those features a bathroom, a passenger’s lounge, family rooms and a restaurant. a complete of 67 such facilities are being constructed.

As anyone who has travelled abroad knows, inns and motels are commonplace in several countries, catering primarily to those that travel long distances by road. In India, though, most people’s idea of a stopover remains a roadside shack, or at the best a dhaba, where the food could also be passable, but the washrooms are well below par, to place it very politely. Some petrol pumps even have washrooms, but hygiene and cleanliness are clearly not a priority there. Particularly for ladies, this will be a nightmare on longish road trips. This was a lacuna the chief minister herself spotted during her frequent road trips to the districts as leader of the opposition. And Pathasathi was the answer she came up with.

Each Pathasathi motel is, therefore, equipped with clean washrooms, and also has regular rooms with attached washrooms, and dining facilities. Some, but not all, offer AC rooms too. Right now, the Housing Department lists approximately 65 operational motels across 23 districts, all of them travel by women belonging to varied self-help groups (SHG). which suggests they serve the twin purpose of catering to visitors, also as helping the explanation for women’s empowerment. The motels serve breakfast and dinner, cooked in house by the ladies.

Scheme Overview

Travels are enjoyable and travels are tiring additionally. Whether it's for the aim of mere tourism or for work purposes, travelling requires some kind of basic amenities also. At the top of a journey, after a tedious journey, every traveller desire to possess an honest place of stay where he can take some rest and be given certain basic requirements. Normally the challenges of finding decent play of stay are many. If the place is already a well-liked tourist spot then there could also be decent places to remain but normally the places could also be costly and beyond the limit of affordability. If the place may be a remote one and there aren't many amenities then it becomes a challenging affair to seek out an honest place to remain. For that, there's the answer of pathasathi housing which provides stay facilities to travellers at different destinations at very decent prices.

Pathasathi housing which may be a collaborative effort of the govt and personal enterprises, aimed toward providing decent rest-room and guest house facilities to weary travellers.

With a view to listening to the sufferings of the people, especially the ladies, bereft of any public toilet while on their journey by road, which is that the minimum requirement of a civilised society this Government is constructing "PATHASATHI (consisting of Pay & use the rest room, lounge, Night shelter and Restaurant under one roof) at every 50 k.m. of National Highway, expressway and Other important roads throughout the State. 31 (Thirty-one) nos. of such "PATHASATHI" are being constructed by this Department and these are in several stages of construction.

Objective of Pathasathi Scheme

Pathasathi housing has two OBJECTIVES –

1) Providing stay facilities to travellers

2) Helping within the livelihood of the people of the local area.

Conclusion

Pathasathi may be a good to manoeuvre by the govt of Bengal. Pathasathi benefits travellers in various ways and makes the power of Bengal stand out among all the opposite travelling schemes across the country. Government is continuously trying for the betterment of the statement and schemes like Pathasathi can convince be an honest move by the govt of Bengal.