Top Bengaluru schools stand as examples for celebrating unity in diversity

Kumaran P | NT

They clean our streets littered with garbage, dry leaves and dust. Come rain, shine or pandemic, they are out there at the crack of dawn and clear our streets of litter by the time we are ready to leave for offices. However, these hapless people, mostly women from economically weaker sections, are not provided any basic amenities, including toilets, at some of the wards in the city.

There are around 18,000 pourakarmikas working for Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Among the pourakarmikas, women are the worst affected due to lack of public toilets or exclusive rest rooms, at mustering points or centres at different locations in 198 wards in the city.

The BBMP authorities had proposed to construct restrooms for pourakarmikas, but the work is yet to begin. For example, around 120 pourakarmikas are assigned to keep Pulikeshinagar ward but they do not have restrooms.

“There are no public toilets in many areas in Pulikeshinagar ward. We do not have a place to relax for a while after having breakfast,” rues Kokila, a pourakarmika.

The pourakarmikas have been demanding the authorities concerned to utilise the vacant space available adjacent to Indira Canteen on Moore Road to construct restrooms. “It is painful to see women pourakarmikas going all the way to a public toilet near Pulikeshinagar Traffic Police Station to attend nature’s call. The public toilet is situated more than one km away from this area where the pourakarmikas have to clean the roads,” said Nagaraj, a BBMP supervisor.

According to Habiba Subhan, a social worker, the women pourakarmikas do not have the luxury to sit in front of shops on Moore Road. “I come across a few businessmen sprinkling black oil on the concrete steps in front of their shops to prevent pourakarmikas sitting in front of their shops. When questioned, the shop owners give strange reasons,’’ said Habiba Subhan, adding that women pourakarmikas suffer a lot during periods in the absence of restrooms.

It is alleged that pourakarmikas have been demanding the BBMP authorities to construct restrooms for more than five years but in vain. “Each ward will have more than one mustering centre or points. Most of them have no buildings or structures. We have been appealing to the BBMP authorities to construct buildings for mustering points or centres. Restrooms could be constructed at these buildings,’’ said BBMP Pourakarmikara Sangha president Nirmala M.

She attributed lack of toilets and drinking facilities as the cause for pourakarmikas suffering with kidney stone problems. “Majority of the pourakarmikas are women. They are suffering a lot due to lack of drinking water and restrooms. They have to go home for drinking water or request residents for drinking water.

The BBMP authorities have been assuring us to begin construction of the restrooms but nothing has been done till date,’’ she said. There was a proposal to construct 225 restrooms at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore.

Meanwhile, BBMP Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Harish Kumar K said over the phone that the state government gave its nod to the BBMP’s proposal to construct restrooms for pourakarmikas.

“The construction of restrooms will begin soon. The restrooms for pourakarmikas will be ready within a few months,’’ said the BBMP Special Commissioner.

Creating a global community is the key

 Sreepriya Unnikrishnan, Head of School, Ekya JP Nagar, said, “We, as educators, are here to prepare our students to play an active part in their local and global community, to help them define themselves, their role and their perspectives on life. We need to support them to understand, value and appreciate the cultural diversity of our country. In this direction, we at Ekya, through our curricular and co-curricular programmes, emphasise the importance of understanding each other’s cultural background, the faith we follow, striving to train our students to be tolerant and accommodating individuals.”