JOIN USThey can't go out even to answer nature's call
Among those most eagerly waiting for normalcy to be restored in Trilokpuri are residents of Sanjay Camp in Block number 27. They are left at the mercy and goodwill of their neighbours in the same block even to visit the toilet.
There are no toilets in any of the 400-500 homes in this slum. Public toilets on the outskirts of this camp were being used by them for years. With prohibitory orders in place now and these public toilets being located in a sensitive location of Trilokpuri, they have become out of bounds for them.
“My family has been visiting my relative’s home in this block. They have toilets at home,” said a woman Gulshan. But with only one toilet in that house, Gulshan feels awkward taking her four children there with her every morning.
Another resident Javed said it has been an “embarrassment” for him and his family to visit a friend’s home to use the bathroom. “Some parents here are no more taking their children to another house for toilet. They prefer dirtying the areas outside their homes,” said Javed.
“Our houses are built on tiny plots of land that made construction of toilets impossible here. Now policemen do not allow us to visit the public toilet,” said a resident Asha.
To visit the public toilets, these residents are required to walk through a bus stand about 200 metres away. That did not bother them until these riots. This particular area witnessed intense stone-pelting and even firing during the clashes and police presence is heavier here than in most other parts of Trilokpuri.
Under these conditions, the toilets served only the policemen deployed there. Bali, the man responsible for maintaining the toilets, told Deccan Herald that the riots have given him some time to relax.
“No cleaning has been required after the area was closed down. On other days you would have to wait in a long queue before you could use these toilets,” said Bali.
But he has also lost out on Rs 2-3 he charged each person for using the toilets.