Built by pvt effort, railway locks toilets at station

SULTANPUR LODHI: PM Narendra Modi may be focusing a lot on Swachh Bharat campaign, and even giving a call to NRIs in Australia to build toilets in Indian villages, but some railway officials here seem to be moving in the reverse direction. They have locked toilets, built with public participation, and even issue directions to “remove” the structures on the ground that these have been raised without “permission” from the concerned department.
These toilets came up with voluntary effort of environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal and his team after railway officials failed to provide the facility to the public. “For almost two years now, we have been asking the railway officials to provide toilets at Sultanpur Lodhi station as people face a lot of problems, especially during the Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary when thousands of devotees from other towns and villages converge here. Indian Railways failed to provide the toilets. Then, when they showed the spot, we built the toilets within nine days and made them functional on November 5, just a day before Guru Nanak Jayanti,” said Seechewal, who arranged funds and volunteers for the toilets.
The railway officials, though, immediately locked them up, defeating the very purpose for which they had been built. “This is the height of indifference towards the problems of people, especially women. Official machinery is enough to undo the efforts of the PM,” he added.
When contacted, the Sultanpur Lodhi station master N K Behu said the toilets had been locked as “safai karamcharis” (sanitation workers) were not provided for their maintenance.
Lohian-based senior section engineer Varinder Kumar admitted that a letter had been issued as the toilets were built without sanction from the authorities. “We are following the rules,” he claimed, adding “We are awaiting a reply from the station master”.
After an appeal for donations, Sohan Singh, a resident of Chak Chela village, gave the money for these toilets and also promised to arrange “safai karamcharis” for these. “It is for the railway passengers and very much in the control of the department,” he said.
Three toilets each for male and female passengers have been built at the station, besides providing a bathing space.
“We’ve been cleaning the toilets and arranging for ‘safai karamcharis’ as well. We have also connected these with sewerage, which cost us another Rs 40,000, but now railway officials are bent upon undoing the entire effort. These were locked over 10 days back,” said Gurwinder Singh, a volunteer actively involved in the effort.
“We have now asked the railway officials that if they want to demolish these then they should first build new toilets,” said Seechewal.