Public lavatories allotted to refugees lie in ruins with no cleaners or attendants
Public lavatories allotted to refugees lie in ruins with no cleaners or attendants
The ghosts of the Partition have been exorcised by most. For the residents of the former resettlement colony of Kalkaji, however, it still raises a stink.
Archaic: A public toilet raised by the Resettlement Ministry in 1952
in shambles
Public toilet complexes that stand as an epitaph to the sad memories of the great exodus are causing trouble to the people living in the south Delhi colony. The erstwhile Ministry of Rehabilitation allotted houses to refugees in the area in 1952 and constructed public toilets for them, as most of the houses did not have attached loos.
More than 58 years after the rehabilitation drive, the toilet complexes still stand, though most of them are in ruins. Some of them are used by the local cleaners to store their goods, others are used by nearby slum dwellers.
Without any maintenance, these toilets are making life difficult for the residents of Kalkaji. An area resident who shifted to Delhi from Pakistan after the Partition is running from pillar to post to get rid of these lavatories, as the colony does not want them any more as they are causing health problems.
"We live in A-Block, Double Storey, Kalkaji, which was allotted to us by the Ministry of Rehabilitation in 1952.u00a0 Since these allotted quarters did not have toilets, the MCD had constructed public toilets for the convenience of the residents.u00a0 Subsequently, all owners constructed toilets in their houses and the public toilets were rendered useless.u00a0
These toilets, however, are still being used by nearby slum dwellers. Without any maintenance by the MCD employees, they are now posing serious problems to us. They have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other bacteria, causing serious health hazard to residents," said CP Malhotra, a government employee.
Lying in ruins, the toilet buildings have developed huge cracks and can fall down any time. The locals tried to clean the toilets by themselves but it was not possible for them to regularly maintain them.
"These toilets stand in front of our houses. The matter was brought to the notice of Chairman, Standing Committee vide our letters dated November 25,1988 and dated April 5, 1999. I have also informed the local MLA along with the Ministry of Urban Development in the year 2000. Since then I have been writing letters to all the departments concerned but no action has been taken during the last 10 years," Malhotra added.
Another resident pointed out that the toilets which were built for their convenience have now become a hazard to them.
The residents have also registered their complaint with App Ki Sunwai, the Delhi government's grievance registration system. App Ki Sunwai marked a letter to DEMS of MCD to take immediate action. An executive from the department took photographs of the toilet complexes and talked to the residents. He will submit a report in this regard to the MCD.
The public grievances commission has also market a latter to the commissioner, MCD, to look into the petitions and dispose the case by intimating the action taken to the petitioner directly under intimation of
the panel.
12.5 millionu00a0Estimated number of people displaced due to the Partition in 1947
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| Delhi meri jaan |
| Post-Partition, Delhi received the largest number of refugees for a single city - the population of Delhi grew rapidly in 1947 from under 1 million (9,17,939) to a little less than 2 million (17,44,072) between the period 1941-1951. The refugees were housed in various historical and military locations such as the Old Fort (Purana Qila), Red Fort (Lal Qila), and military barracks in Kingsway (around the present Delhi university). The latter became the site of one of the largest refugee camps in northern India with more than 35,000 refugees at any given time besides Kurukshetra camp near Panipat. |
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