There is a sin- gle toilet - common for ladies and gents - with taps running dry and a broken ceil- ing. What are we or our female litigants supposed to do in case we need to re- lieve our- selves? ANITA MARATHE, Advocate, consumer court...........Sayli Udas Mankikar  Mumbai

 

 

IT WOULD be hilariously ironic if it weren't so pathetic.

A common toilet with a collapsing roof and no running water, no drinking waterfilter or cooler, a court entrance loaded with old, broken furniture, including smelly, dusty chairs: welcome to the Maharashtra State Consumer Disputes Re dressal Commission at BD Somani Marg in Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST).

This is a reality 100 advocates, 50 staffers and hundreds of consumers coming from the entire state are facing for three years.

The pathetic state and lack of basic amenities at the consumer forum forced the Consumer Courts Advocates Association (Maharashtra and Goa) to approach the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission for help. The case was filed on January 22 and the Public Works Department (PWD), General Administration Department and the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs of the state were held responsible for the negligence.

"There is a single toilet - common for ladies and gents with taps running dry and a broken ceiling. What are we or our female litigants supposed to do in case we need to relieve ourselves?" questioned Anita Marathe, advocate at the court. At the moment, the only appaling answer is: walk down to CST station or secretly squirm into one of the toilets in the nearby motor tribunal court or human rights commission, which they are not supposed to use.

"We have consumers coming from all over the state to attend cases. There is no decent washroom to freshen up or even water to offer," said J.M. Baphna, senior advocate and president of the association. "We have filed a petition pleading that they make available basic amenities to us; currently they are below human dignity," added senior advocate Anand Patwardhan, honorary treasurer of the association.

The case was heard for the first time in February after which a PWD engineer along with lawyers surveyed the area and agreed to get toilets constructed, said Patwardhan.

Of course, nothing has been done yet.

Interestingly, the commission got a sanction of Rs 20 lakh after much perseverance to do up the furniture and get new air conditioners and computers affixed. "The Rs 20 lakh is for specific purposes," said president of the commission, Justice (Retd) B.B. Vagyani. "We have on several occasions asked for funds for maintenance and repair of such basic facilities, but there is no answer."

The PWD supervisor on the site, Santosh Palaukar, said that they had got no instructions about constructing toilets. "We have till now painted the rooms and got the furniture done. The toilets were not mentioned."

URL:  http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=09_04_2008_007_009&typ=0&pub=264