No Public toilet ,No Pee - BMC's unfair Diktat
The Municipal Corporation of Mumbai has started a campaign which fines people for littering public places or makes them clean the mess they created. A few weeks back, this campaign shot in the news when the BMC fined Tavleen Singh , a respected columnist , Rs.500/- ,when her dog was caught making a mess on the Marine Drive promenade. Tavleen, a hypocrite if there was ever one, made a fuss and protested saying that other dogs are making a mess all over Mumbai, so why should she (or her dog) be singled out. But the point was that this in itself doesn't give license to dog owners like Tavleen to dirty the city even more - although the fact that the BMC has a duty to make efforts at cleaning up the city is undisputed. But such is the attitude of even the city's elite. While they go around prescribing all kinds of solutions for India's ill's , these are the same people who fail to walk the talk (or clean up their Dog's mess when he takes one)- Tavleen being a prime example of this brigade.
But having said that- the BMC ( and other executive bodies) have a duty too. NDTV interviewed one person today, who was literally caught with his pants down- urinating in public. Now ,although this is a hideous thing to do, can you blame people when there is a complete lack of clean public urinals in our public places, in even our biggest and best (sic) cities? The city fails miserably in providing the appropriate public infrastructure to our citizens so as to enable them to follow good civic behaviour. Where, for instance, are the toilets? Where are the dust bins? Where is the enforcement of rules which facilitates people to walk along roadsides without danger of being rammed by vehicles or hawkers?
If the BMC was sensible (now that's asking for too much, I know), they should enforce rules in places where they have provided these facilities to the tax paying public. The public on its part should try and carry their litter with them home, if bins are not to be seen. I do this all the time, and its not at all difficult. But when it comes to the natures call, when you got to go, you got to go. Well dressed people can get entry into the toilet of a commercial establishment, but what about the millions of lower middle class and poor, who have no access to public toilets? Fining them, when the executive has failed to perform its legitimate duty is really a travesty of justice.
But having said that- the BMC ( and other executive bodies) have a duty too. NDTV interviewed one person today, who was literally caught with his pants down- urinating in public. Now ,although this is a hideous thing to do, can you blame people when there is a complete lack of clean public urinals in our public places, in even our biggest and best (sic) cities? The city fails miserably in providing the appropriate public infrastructure to our citizens so as to enable them to follow good civic behaviour. Where, for instance, are the toilets? Where are the dust bins? Where is the enforcement of rules which facilitates people to walk along roadsides without danger of being rammed by vehicles or hawkers?
If the BMC was sensible (now that's asking for too much, I know), they should enforce rules in places where they have provided these facilities to the tax paying public. The public on its part should try and carry their litter with them home, if bins are not to be seen. I do this all the time, and its not at all difficult. But when it comes to the natures call, when you got to go, you got to go. Well dressed people can get entry into the toilet of a commercial establishment, but what about the millions of lower middle class and poor, who have no access to public toilets? Fining them, when the executive has failed to perform its legitimate duty is really a travesty of justice.
Labels: CurrentAffairs
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