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| Over a lakh of non-resident labour making Jammu an open sewer | | Residents fraught with serious health issues | | Abodh Sharma
Jammu, Apr 18: Notwithstanding the aggressive advertisement and awareness campaign featuring popular film stars against the ill effects of defecating in the open, over a lakh of industrial and construction labour in Jammu which has no or negligible access to proper toilet facilities is endangering the lives of the residents gravely.
People residing in the developing areas and suburban colonies of the city constitute the more vulnerable group against serious allergies due to loads of night soil dumped in open plots, on the sides of roads and almost everywhere in even posh localities like Chhani Himat, Trikuta Nagar, Greater Kailash, Gangyal, Roopnagar, Bhagwati Nagar and in and around the industrial sectors of the city.
Even as Jammu and Kashmir is much above the national average with regards to population that has access to toilet facilities, this non local industrial and construction labour has been deprived of this facility and the civic agencies have done little to address the issue that threatens the city of critical health issues.
"The problem redoubles in the hot and humid weather when such places become fertile breeding grounds for threatening microbes that cause allergies of skin, eyes, respiratory track and gastro intestinal track" said Dr. Nirmal Soodan, a microbiologist.
The onus to protect the city from the menace lies squarely on the urban agencies, which seem pathetically inert to the situation. Despite several programs of slum development across the country, J&K has lagged way behind in their implementation due to existing laws. "It is not feasible to avail toilet facilities in clusters inhabited by such labour population, and hence the community toilets have not be tried here" said Prabodh Nagpal, a social worker. "At many places, urban civic agencies tried to make community lavatories by involving reputed NGOs working in this field as Sulabh Shouchalya, but it has hardly helped as these people refuse to pay the negligible usage charges" he added. "The representatives of the resident welfare associations, community leaders and aware citizens have a job at hand to educate such people to use the community toilets wherever available" he emphasized.
It is pertinent to mention here that this population of non -resident labourers has huge contribution towards the development of the city and its economy, yet, they demanding their share of rights and resources of the city, it is mandatory that they contribute in keeping the environs of the city clean, hygienic and disease free.
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