Sangeeta (name changed) wakes up at 3 am to go to the toilet. She wants to avoid any confrontation with her neighbours in the vehra (cluster of small dwelling units) of Ward No. 78 in Jalandhar. Her vehra has only two toilets for more than 60 residents.
The story is no different for 28-year-old migrant Puneet Kumar, who lives in Dhandari in Ludhiana. The vehra has only six toilets for around 300 people.
Such vehras in the Industrial Area, Focal Point, Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, Shiv Nagar and Gadaipur in Jalandhar offer similar living conditions to migrants, who are staying in cramped quarters. And things are no different in congested settlements at Prem Nagar, Dhandari, Giaspura, Sherpur and other villages outside Ludhiana, but within the municipal limits.
These squalid living quarters are home to thousands of migrants. A small vehra has about 20 rooms and a bigger one has 100 or even more. Each room houses four to five persons, who mostly cook within the same space.
Jasmeet Singh of the Karkhana Mazdoor Union, Ludhiana, said poor sanitary conditions were a major worry at the vehras.
The authorities conceded that a sizable number of the vehras were illegal constructions. These had inadequate drinking water supply. The toilets were much less than adequate in a majority of vehras. The sewers, more than often, could be seen overflowing.
Karnesh Sharma, Municipal Corporation Commissioner, Jalandhar, said a survey was held in the city and soon, public toilets would be constructed as per the requirement.
On the other hand, a large number of people staying in such close proximity is another cause of worry, especially during the Covid pandemic.
RK Yadav, a resident of Giaspura, said: “Our rooms are generally very small. During the day, labourers go out for work but in the evening, huge gatherings are seen at the vehras.”
Dr TP Singh, Assistant Health Officer, Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, said a single infection in these crowded quarters could lead to a big trouble. Dr Ramesh Bhagat, District Epidemiologist, Ludhiana, said Covid cases had been reported from certain vehras in the city. Talks were on with the government to make a plan to shift the dwellers of such vehras to a safe place if more cases were reported, he said.
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