Clean drinking water, toilet facilities not available in majority of places
If you are hopping pandals alone or with family or friends remember to carry drinking water and find out the nearest toilet to attend to the nature’s call. Most pandals among over 100 small and big ones in the city are devoid of these basic facilities.
Asked about the reason, the pandal organisers change the topic of conversation. The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) also follows the same approach.
Thankfully, those pandals made at clubs can be seen having both the facilities but a visitor has to enquire about it. No announcement regarding the fact is done in any of the pandal. The long traffic jam of vehicles and people makes the problem more pathetic.
“For the first time ever, two taps have been connected in our pandal. We can use the water for performing the rituals but cannot drink it. Majority of our members avoid drinking water from the small tanks of RMC. At times it is difficult to control nature’s calls. We do not have any option since there are no toilet facilities,” said Dolly Ganguly, a senior member of Hinoo Puja Committee Bangla Mandap, one of the oldest puja pandals of the capitals.
Meanwhile, the prominent pandals at Ranchi Railway Station, Kantatoli, Rajasthan Mitra Mandal and Satya Amar lok claimed to have all such facilities at their level best. “We have urinals for women. Ensuring purified or clean drinking water is not possible for us,” said committee members of Ranchi Railway Station and Kantatoli.
Similarly, Satya Amar lok puja committee members informed on the drinking water which is not purified and washrooms available in the Marwari Bhawan attached to their pandal.
Interestingly, when The Pioneer visited few of these pandals on Tuesday night marking MahaSashthi, even the Below Poverty line (BPl) women were noticed requesting their children to purchase mineral water instead of drinking water from RMC’s tank. “We are facing financial crunch but health of the family is precious than money when it is about purified water,” said 50 year old Rupam Devi hailing from a slum area near airport.
However, Bakri Bazaar Durga Puja organizers have made few urinals for the convenience of women for the first time ever.
On the other side, RMC’s inspection on such needs seemed doubtful. Mayor Asha lakra said they have not received any complain on the water of their tanks allotted in all the pandals. “It is the responsibility of residents to inform us about the necessities at our toll free number 18003456530. We will try to solve the water problem,” she added.
Notably, RMC’s control room made at the corporation office will function till Dashami for the convenience of pandal members and locals.
Changing the topic for toilets, she said that RMC has managed proper electricity supply to all the pandals and pledged to clean the city under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.