Mumbai: Police recruitment candidates get some relief but shelter, toilets remain an issue

Aspirants at the Local Arms Unit ground near the MU campus at Kalina on Tuesday. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

After mid-day highlighted how aspiring constables from across the state were compelled to sleep on footpaths, they received a little relief - but the issues of shelter as well as toilets are yet to be fully resolved. While candidates have now been evacuated from footpaths and allowed by police staff to sleep inside centres, this newspaper on Tuesday shed light on how thousands of aspirants were left with no choice but to defecate in the open and were not provided food and drinking water.

About 5,000 candidates are pouring into the city daily with the hope of occupying the posts of 6,000 male and women constables. Last week, one of them, Ganesh Ugale, 26, collapsed and was declared dead after finishing a 1,600-metre race.

Candidates unwind at the Marol centre

On Tuesday, Joint Commissioner (Administration) S Jayakumar told mid-day, "At all centres, we set up a sufficient number of tents. Each centre has around 70 mobile toilets and water facilities. Whatever we have we have already provided them. We ensure that nobody will sleep on the footpath or on the road. We also have deployed DCP at each centre who are checking all the updates day and night."

However, nothing much seemed to have changed on the ground on Tuesday evening, with thousands of candidates still lacking access to facilities. Also, the food and toilets left much to be desired, according to candidates.

Also Read: Mumbai police recruitment drive: 'No option but to stay on roads, defecate in open'

Kalina campus centre

A security guard at Mumbai University's Kalina campus, one of the recruitment centres, instructed candidates not to sleep in front of the varsity gate and told them to repose on the ground of the Local Arms Unit (LAU) office barely 100 metres away.

The road outside MU's Kalina campus is bare after candidates are told to go to the Local Arms Unit ground on Tuesday

The guard said, "The recruitment drive organisers should deploy a coordinator to the Mumbai University gate who can guide and give information about where to sleep. I have been doing their job since the evening. I have been telling every who is sleeping on the footpath or road to go to the ground to sleep."

A candidate from Dhule said he had been sleeping on a divider. "There is nobody here who can guide us or give us information. Thank you for informing us about the ground being available for candidates to rest. I will inform everyone to go there," he said.

A candidate from Ahmednagar said, "I was sleeping on the footpath when a police van arrived and we were told to sleep on the ground. Over there, there is sufficient space but limited tents in which only 100-150 candidates can sleep." mid-day also found out that there are no toilets on the ground. Mobile toilets are available inside the Kalina campus but no candidates are allowed at the site before 5 am.

Candidates relax at the Marol centre

A candidate from Nashik said, "We are using nearby public toilets or answering nature's call outside Mumbai University. The mobile toilets at the training centre should have been kept at the LAU ground. In the morning, every candidate wants to use the washroom. This is a basic requirement."

Marol centre

At the Marol centre, all candidates were informed not to sleep on the footpath or road and were ushered inside. However, the tents available at the site are insufficient and only accommodate 300 to 400 of the 2,000 candidates present. The rest were forced to sleep on the ground.

A recruiter at the centre said, "We are informing candidates not to sleep on the road or footpath. We are also instructing them to come here where we have arranged facilities for them. Tents are available but only a limited number of candidates can sleep in them."

Aspirants at the Local Arms Unit ground

Asked about the toilet situation, he said, "Toilet facilities are there. Candidates have to adjust as we can only make arrangements as per our capacity." A candidate from Satara said, "Yes, today nobody is sleeping on the road. Tents are limited inside the centre but we are adjusting now. At least, all candidates are sleeping inside the ground. It's safer than being on the road."

A candidate from Akola told mid-day, "We are safe inside the centre and are getting space to sleep. Around 20 toilets are available. This is enough for us. In the evening we were resting on the footpath but around 7.30 pm a person arrived and instructed us to rest in the centre." Earlier, there was no such guide or volunteers at the spot.

Authorities evacuate aspirants from the streets at Marol on Tuesday

Naigaon centre

When mid-day visited this spot on Tuesday night, candidates were seen in a queue till 8.30 pm. Later, they were taken inside the centre. The parent of a candidate from Akola said, "We arrived at the centre at 4 pm and had been standing here until 8.30 pm. They told us to rest in line on the footpath and they would take us inside at 8.30 pm. There are sufficient facilities and proper toilets."

Outside the Naigaon centre

A candidate from Ahmednagar said, "We had been told to come here before 7 pm and if we came late, they would not take us inside. That's why we arrived at 3 pm. Till 8.30 pm, we used a public toilet which is far from the centre. But somehow, we managed." A recruitment staffer said, "This is a police recruitment drive and candidates should be punctual. Water, toilets and tents are available. We are not allowing any candidate who comes after 11 pm inside the centre. We already informed all candidates to come before 8 pm."

5,000
No of candidates arriving daily in city

70
No of mobile toilets in each centre