Women fighting for years for a public toilet at the biggest playground in Bengaluru's Vidyaranayanapura

BENGALURU: Nestled between the HMT Layout and NTI Layout in Vidyarayanapura is the sprawling NTI Grounds, a hub of activity with many big sporting events too being organised here. There are no toilet facilities available for the hundreds of sports enthusiasts, including a good chunk of women, who visit the place daily.

Madhuri Subbarao, Co-founder of the Dhatri Women and Child Welfare Association which has 40 active members, has been relentlessly fighting for the amenity for nearly six years.

"For a City which hosted the Khelo India University Games recently, it is shameful that this basic amenity is not provided despite repeated pleas by women to BBMP officials, the two former corporators Kusuma Manjunath and H Lakshmi and former Mayor Gnanambika Mallikarjun. We have raised the issue frequently on public forums and social media tagging MLA Krishna Byre Gowda too," she said.

Subbarao pointed out that the existing three public toilets are in a state of disuse with the BBMP keeping them locked for years.

"They do not have a water facility. If not new toilets, why is it so difficult to refurbish these locked ones at least," she queried. The nearest public toilets in the area from the grounds are quite a distance away from both sides of the road. "It is a huge embarrassment for women players who come to compete in tournaments here with men urinating all around the place. There is no space for ladies to change into their sports gear too. Senior citizens are forced to relieve themselves in the open," she pointed out.

Former BJP corporator Kusuma Manjunath said a contractor Kumar was entrusted with the task of overhauling the toilets long ago. "He began by doing some sump work and then vanished. We got busy during COVID with vaccination related work and the distribution of rations. No one knows when he stopped work. My term also has concluded now."

Byatarayanapura MLA Krishna Byre Gowda has now assured immediate action. "I have not been approached by anyone so far regarding the issue. It is good that you have brought the issue to my notice now. I will do my best to ensure it is redressed at the earliest," he said.