Raunak tai was all furious when she saw an elderly man ogling at a lady in one of the ghats along the Ganga stretch on Sunday. Her scoldings and abuses to the man made the passers-by stop. For some it was a usual affair but others saw the issue.
To meet the requirements of a large number of pilgrims arriving in the city during the fairs and fests for the holy dip, change rooms on the ghats are a simple solution which the district administration has ignored for long. Some of the ashrams have built their own private ghats and changing rooms but many along the main canal running parallel to the National Highway-58, which draw maximum pilgrims, are sans the basic facilities.
Notably during the dedication of Agrasen ghat on Ganga on July 10 the Chief Minister had directed the district magistrate to make the changing rooms on the ghats but till now no initiative has been taken by the district authorities.
The condition of few change rooms that exist at some of the ghats is in shambles. Unable to provide the basic amenities of toilets on all the ghats, the Nagar Nigam has also failed to maintain the sanitation and cleanliness on ghats.
The pathetic condition of change rooms located on some ghats like Vishwakarma and Govind ghat reveal the harsh facts about the preparedness of local authorities for the Kanwar Mela which is just round the corner and witnesses lakhs of pilgrims for one fortnight. As till now no water facility in the toilets have been made by the Nagar Nigam, people are forced to use the change rooms as urinals making the wholly place stink. To check the dharamshala owner has locked the change room permanently.
Non-availability of changing rooms at the ghats on the Ganga canal has increased the rush of women pilgrims in the ashram ghats in Kankhal area which have changing rooms.
When asked the ADM Jeewan Singh Nangiyal said, “It is right that all the Ganga ghats do not have the changing rooms for women. Very soon temporary arrangements shall be made by the district administration which would solve the purpose.”