After train hits Sion man defecating on tracks, locals say lack of awareness leads many in the area to defecate in public; BMC says railway tracks not under its jurisdiction
BMC had roped in Salman Khan as brand ambassador for its first anti-defecation drive recently. File pic
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Even as the BMC chases the goal of making the city completely open defecation free by October, a Sion resident lost his life while defecating on railway tracks in the early hours of Tuesday.
Ashok Kadam (42), a resident of the Gandhi Market slum area, was hit by a CST bound train from Wadala. A catering service employee, Kadam is survived by his wife and two sons.
Although there are public toilets in the locality, locals allege that many choose to defecate in the open, especially on railway tracks. Ritesh Shinde, a Sion resident, said, "It's an unfortunate incident. Although there are public toilets in the locality, many people still turn to the railway tracks for defecation. It's as if these people are bound by habit to defecate in the open. Perhaps there should be greater awareness about the perils that open defecation pose."
According to his son, Kadam 'never used the toilet'. Ajay, Kadam's younger son, said, "My father always headed to the tracks to defecate, but he seldom ventured out to answer nature's call at night. He must have missed the train in the dark and was hit on his head by the CST bound train."
Ajay and his family members immediately rushed Kadam to Sion Hospital, but he breathed his last yesterday night. Ajay informed, “My father never went to the toilet for defecation.”
Significantly, the civic body recently declared 12 of the city's 24 wards open defecation free. The BMC also claimed to have brought down open defecation spots from 118 to 21 in Mumbai. Recently, it roped in actor Salman Khan as the brand ambassador for its Open Defecation Free (ODF) drive.
The civic body, however, shirked any responsibility of such incidents. Speaking to mid-day, a BMC official said, “We have written to the Centre informing that Mumbai has been made open defecation free, but we have no control over Railway properties and lands. It's beyond our power and jurisdiction."
But, Central Railway chief PRO Narendra Patil insists it's not about jurisdiction and the BMC should look into creating awareness about the issue of open defecation. "Most slums in the city still lack basic amenities, including toilets. So, the dwellers often defecate on the tracks. There should not be any jurisdiction dilemma. The BMC only needs to educate citizens about the evils of open defecation. Our officials hit the roads to educate citizens against crossing railway tracks, so, why can't BMC officials take to the streets to create awareness about open defecation?”
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