Despite the district administration having declared the holy city Haridwar as open defecation free, things are far from so on the ground. The city daily sees scores of people go to the fields to relieve themselves is a mockery of the administration’s high-pitched claim. Things are particularly happening this way in several residential colonies under municipal corporation inhabited principally by the economically unprivileged classes where the people are perforce going to the fields due to lack of toilets. What is more, the major hang- out places and shopping centres like Ranipur Mode, Jwalapur and Katehra Bazaar are still devoid of public toilets for the women.
Names of many colonies situated under Nagar Nigam limit can be cited like Kharkhari,Pantdweep, Bheemgoda, Chandi bridge, Jatwara bridge, Tibdi colony and labour Basti where the people are still defecating in the open as they have no toilet to go. Even the vicinity of the fabled Har Ki Paidi like Kushavart Ghat is not free from the open defecation menace. The people of Indira Basti located in the Haridwar industrial area are doing the same in the forest.
As per the census 2011, the population count under Nagar Nigam is 2.75 lakh. However, the number of the floating population in the city is nearly the same. The municipal corporation has constructed 371 residential toilets aside from and 46 public toilets and 158 meant for the women.
Speaking to The Pioneer, assistant city commissioner Sanjay Kumar said, “We have a plan of constructing as many toilets as possible to cater to the sanitation needs of the rising population of the city. Places have been marked for the purpose. Besides, the economically unprivileged people are being provided with monthly passes to use Sulabh Shauchalaya.”
However, many of such public toilets located in places like Jwalapur Peeth Bazaar, Kassaban Mohalla and Ambedkar Chowk are found closed for years. Quizzed over the matter, Sanjay Kumar said that they are closed as they need repair. “We would rebuild them soon,” he added.