After a series of reports in Mid-day, civic officials from Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation have finally attached iron doors to nine public toilets at Sant Jalaram Bapu Nagar chawl in Vasai East. The original doors had been stolen around six months ago, compelling women to squat in the open. See pics
Updated On: 2023-01-16 09:48 AM IST
Workers attach the iron doors to the public toilets at Sant Jalaram Bapu Nagar chawl in Vasai East on Sunday Pics/Hanif Patel
The toilets were constructed over 10 years ago, in proximity to the railway tracks on a huge drain. The area is guarded by iron railings, which are corroded and pose a threat to life Pics/Hanif Patel
Thanking mid-day for bringing about change, a local resident Ambaliya said, “We have suffered a lot in the past six months. We would stand up whenever a local train came by, as the passengers would pass lewd comments. They would look at us and comment, ‘Baith jao, baith jao’. It was so embarrassing. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts” Pics/Hanif Patel
The Sant Jalaram Bapu Nagar chawl in Vasai East has around 1,500 rooms with 4,500 residents residing which includes around 2,500 women. Most of the residents are Kathiyawadi Gujaratis. Hours after this paper published a story on January 7, on the doorless toilets with no water and electricity connections, VVCMC civic officials shot off a complaint letter to Manikpur police station, but no FIR has been registered so far Pics/Hanif Patel
