Guwahati: A nudge from the Prime Minister's Office has prompted the state's urban development department to ask the mission director of Swachh Bharat Mission, Assam, to reply to a teenage petitioner who wrote to Narendra Modi highlighting difficulties faced by female commuters because of absence of toilets on highways.

Jhimli Bhattacharjee, a teenage green crusader who is a member of Nagaon's Green Police, the district's steadfast green team from Nagaon Bengali Girls' High School, who along with her team had sent a handwritten letter to Modi dated mid-January addressing the menace of public urination and difficulties faced by female commuters in getting access to public toilets.

In February, Rajeev Ranjan Kushwaha, the section officer at the PMO, wrote to the state's chief secretary with the subject as petition of Jhimli for "action as appropriate reply may be sent to the petitioner".

"A letter dated May 29 written by H.K. Saikia, deputy secretary to the government of Assam, urban development, to the mission director of Swachh Bharat Mission said Saikia was directed to forward a copy of the letter received from PMO to request the mission director to furnish the reply directing the petitioner Jhimli that action taken on the matter may be submitted to this department at an early date. It is a response from PMO directing our state government to take urgent measures," said Nripendra Sarma, a PHED engineer, who is also the mentor of Green Police.

The team had urged Modi to take an administrative decision to implement their proposal that all establishments along the highways maintain one free toilet for people.

"We are grateful to the Prime Minister for responding to our appeal. We hope the measures will be implemented. His response will encourage the student fraternity," Jhimli said.

The letter reiterated how public urination plays havoc with hygiene. They wrote that if every roadside dhaba, public and private office and petrol depot maintains a free toilet then the "shameless act of public peeing" will be reduced.

"It was becoming an eyesore for girls to see people urinating in public. They asked me what to do. Then Jhimli came up with the idea to write to the Prime Minister asking him to take an administrative decision based on their proposal. I told them to go ahead and the letter was posted on Tuesday," Aparna Bhattacharya, teacher and guide to Green Police, said.