Protesting at Jantar Mantar not for faint-hearted

Instead of facilitating smooth conduct of protests, lack of basic civic amenities further add to the miseries of the protestors as it has only one toilet complex and one drinking water tanker. The toilet closes at 10 pm and opens at 6 in the morning.

NDMC spokesperson said: “We are planning to do away with the timings of the toilet. It will be 24x7 very soon.  We are also bringing a moving toilet for the protesters there. Not only this, construction of a new toilet is almost complete.” This becomes a serious problem for protesters, especially women, spending nights at Jantar Mantar. Gagjit Kaur, a protestor against the December 12, 2013 rape case, said: “I try not to drink much water in order to cut down on the number of times I go to the toilet during night. The timing of the toilet is from 6 am to 10 am but often the toilet attendant closes it early and opens it late.”

After 10 pm, women have to go to Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, a 13-minute walk from Jantar Mantar. Further, the tanker is irregularly filled with water by the NDMC. Looking through this issue, NDMC spokesperson also said: “Anyone can call the NDMC control room whenever the tanker goes out of water.” Satish Kajala, another protester since 2012, also narrated the same ordeal. “Being a man, I relieve myself in any corner near Jantar Mantar. However, when my fellow women protesters come here it becomes very difficult. Lack of drinking water is also a very big issue. Often the tanker runs dry and we have to go to search potable water to nearby places”.

Looking forward for a positive response from NDMC, protestors are expecting a relief from these problems which they face on a daily basis.