The headquarter town of Kishtwar district lacks adequate number of toilets in public places, due to which the public continues to suffer.
The irked residents said, “Some of the crowded places in thecity do not have even a single public toilet. A few toilets that exist atmarket places are usually not well maintained or not situated at convenientlocations, while most of them remain locked all the times. In some cases,people, not knowing the location of the toilets, relieve themselves near adrain, wall or an ill-maintained place.”
One of the most congested places in the town, the main busstand, possess only one toilet inside the market, but most of the peoplerelieve themselves near open drains and at the ground adjacent to the area, asthey feel that the toilets are unhygienic, they claimed.
“The Kishtwar municipal committee should take up thematter and keep the toilets clean,” Asif Hussain Butt, a local said.
Another busy spot, Bun Astan Chok near Parade Ground, alsodoes not have a toilet. Meanwhile, Shaheedi Chowk has a single urinal near theBoys Higher Secondary School, but people don’t venture inside it as it liesdilapidated. “The toilet at Shaheedi Chowk, constructed by KMC, does not have asignboard. Most people don’t know about its existence,” Arshad Giri, ashopkeeper, said.
The case is not any different for the toilets in other partsof the town.
Naseer Ahmad Bagwan, a social activist, said, “The cityneeds more toilets to cater to the heavy floating population. The KMC shouldtake proper care of the toilets after constructing them.”
On being contacted, chairman KMC, Riyaz Ahmad Zargar, said,”About 5 public toilets had been constructed in the town, among which one isproperly maintained while rest are either non-functional or lie defunct.”
“We are in need of funds to undertake construction ofmore toilets in the town and to repair the ones constructed earlier. We areidentifying land and seeking financial assistance in this regard,” he added.