E-Paper
Public toilets raise a stink in Ward 16 of Chandigarh
Ward 16 is reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Cast and it covers Bhaskar Colony Sector 25, Sector 25 (west), and the Chandigarh Armed Police Complex, Dhanas; public toilets here are in a bad shape
Clean toilets and a tap for clean drinking water is what the residents of Bhaskar Colony Sector 25, want. Carrying a mug of water, residents of this colony have to walk a few kilometres to relieve themselves and at times there is a long waiting line, hence they rush to the nearby jungle.
Ward number 16 is reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Cast and it covers Bhaskar Colony Sector 25, Sector 25 (west), and the Chandigarh Armed Police Complex, Dhanas.
Meenu, who works in a university, said: “Toilets are not clean here, doors are broken and we have to take water from outside. It gets scary to go to the toilets at night as there are no lights and many drug addicts are there in the area.” She lives in one of the 4,000 jhuggis in this ward.
Subash, who drives an auto-rickshaw for livelihood, said: “There are around 20 to 30 toilets for nearly 8,000 people living in the colony. So, people start making queues early in the morning.”
Talking about the condition, he said: “The doors are broken and there is no water, so we carry our own water. There is no cleanliness. You will find all sorts of filth in these toilets. Even syringes used by drug addicts are found lying there.” Often women have to walk half a kilometre to the nearby jungle.
Anil Kumar, who twice remained the president of the area, said: “Lots of work is pending here, but the main issue is the green belt and parks occupied by people living in slums. We want they should be relocated to pucca houses so that they get a roof over their heads and our children get a park to play.”
Kumar said naked, hanging wires pose threat to people, especially children.
Sandeep Kumar, a resident, said: “The sector doesn’t have proper roads. Without the motor, we don’t get water in our houses, streetlights are broken and there are no CCTV cameras here.”
The common complaint of most of the residents is filthy water. “The sewer lines are corroded because of which it contaminates drinking water. Every day, one or the other area reports water woes. At times we walk a few kilometres to get drinking water from other places.”
He said there was no community centre in this ward and poor sanitation was a big issue.
Councillor Sheela Devi said people living in slums were allotted flats, but they had sold those flats and have started living in slums. Now, those living in flats have been requesting me to remove these toilets as it stinks. She claimed that there were drinking water taps and enough toilets in the colony.
“During my term, roads were constructed, parks were built and other development works were done,” she said, adding that for the problem of filthy drinking water, she had approached the MC several times.
Know your ward:
Voters: Around 12,000 votes
Key issues
• Broken toilets that are without the door and water and lack hygiene
• Filthy water supply
• Broken roads and streetlights
Local voices
Water is a major issue here. We don’t have a single tap in the colony, so we have to fill water from the adjoining areas. It gets really difficult for us. -- Manori, domestic help, a resident of Sector 25 Colony
There are no lights in the area where there are toilets. We feel unsafe, hence avoid going to the washroom at night. Also, doors are broken, which causes a lot of inconvenience. -- Silva Rani, domestic help, a resident of Sector 25 Colony
Water and sanitation are two major problems in this area. We have made several requests, but to no avail. -- Ombir, ragpicker, a resident of Sector 25 Colony
We face a lot of inconvenience due to defunct streetlights in the area. Without streetlights, it is scary and dangerous to walk at night. -- Sangeeta, homemaker, a resident of Sector 25 Colony
