Vellore’s hygiene keepers forced to live in unhealthy conditions

VELLORE: At a time when the government is actively campaigning to end open defecation along with offering subsidies to build toilet in each house, the cleanliness workers residing in the Municipal Colony, hardly a stone’s throw from the District Collector’s office, are forced to use toilets sans doors. Only a few pieces of clothes are being used as curtains to ensure some sort of privacy.

Around 200 families live in the colony at Kagithapattarai and they have been provided with a toilet complex with separate sections for both sexes.

“Locals have no idea when the complex was built as the area has undergone lot of changes over the years. Also, the information displayed on top of the complex is not clearly visible,” a worker seeking anonymity told DT Next.

While men find places to relieve themselves, women are unable to do so as the entire area has constant movement of public and if they have to defecate in the open, the only spot is the Palar bank, nearly a kilometre away, a source said.

“As women must report for duty early in the morning, they are forced to use the dilapidated toilet complex,” one of the women stated.

Another pain is water, sometimes it is inadequate or not available at all.

“The women are forced to carry water from the source outside the toilet. This becomes a strain at times of emergencies,” sources revealed.

Vellore district consumer federation president K Sathiyamoorthy said, “it is distressing that workers who clean the city are unable to relieve themselves peacefully. Action should be taken against the local corporation zone officials for this deplorable situation.”

Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar said a new toilet complex estimated at Rs 35 lakh would be built in the area and that the work would start next month, while Corporation health officer (in charge) Murugan said, “the matter has come to our notice, and we will initiate repairs to see that the toilet complex is usable.”