Todays The Hindu carries the news of Churu, a non descript town in Rajasthan which is on the verge of being crowned as an Open Defecation Free town. Under the auspices of Nirmal Bharat Abhayan (NBA) toilets have been built all over the place and people are encouraged to practice proper toilet etiquette. The general perception is that defecation issues (not sure whether I can use that term) pertain to those who live in the margins of society. Slum dwellers, destitutes, rural folk ...so on and so forth. However a visit to any of the railways stations in this country (the largest public sector undertaking in India mind you- Indian Railways) is bound to leave you nauseous and crappy!!! What you think youve flushed away to obscurity is falling smack on the rail tracks and travellers are made to face the brunt of the stench and the swarm of flies that converge on them on the platform. A country which is often compared to China on economic parameters.....which has ambitious plans of acquiring bullet trains and bringing about metros in all its Tier 1 and 2 cities .....and has trillions of dollars in its kitty for infrastructure development......has to face the ignominy of not being able to guarantee hygiene and health to its 1 billion population....what a monumental shame! When do we s**t in peace??
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 10:23:55 +0000