Overflowing sewers, heaps of garbage spilling out on the roads and insufficient toilets and drinking water facilities greet pilgrims on their way to Ajmer as they stop for a night or two in south Delhi’s Nizamuddin area. Pilgrims who travel to the shrine of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer have been making the footpaths around Nizamuddin a stop on their journey for years.
Families from across the country camp on Lodhi Road, eating and cooking on the pavement and sleeping in their buses. Apart from breaking the journey, the pilgrims spend some time at the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya before getting back on the road.
‘Things have improved’
Sheikh Hakimuddin, who along with 48 other pilgrims from Odisha reached Delhi on Friday night as a part of their 15-day journey, said in the 10 years he has been coming to Nizamuddin things have improved.
“The area is looking cleaner. There isn’t that much garbage on the footpath now. But, the arrangements in Ajmer or in Raniganj in Bihar are the best. The camp there has a roof for us to sleep under,” he said.
Womens’ issues
For most women travelling in the buses, the biggest problem remains of access to toilets. While Nizamuddin basti has community toilet complexes made by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation as well as NGOs, the walk through the narrow winding lanes of the neighbourhood, especially in the dark, is something they want to avoid.
“We reached at night and had trouble finding the toilets as we didn’t know where to go. Since there are not enough toilets, many people end up relieving themselves in the open,” said Jebun Bibi, a pilgrim from Odisha.
Water woes
Another woman, Kausar Bibi, who is on her fourth pilgrimage via Delhi, said clean drinking water was the biggest source of worry.
“We were directed to a tap nearby, but the water looked filthy. We ended up having to walk to the dargah to fill up bottles and bring them back to the bus,” she said.
The SDMC, for its part, is trying to improve sanitation in the area.
Farhad Suri, Nizamuddin councillor and Leader of the Opposition in the SDMC, said the frequency of sweeping would be increased and a new toilet complex would be constructed.
“We have complained to the Delhi government about the overflowing sewer many times, but to no avail. Drinking water and mobile toilets are the government’s responsibility,” said Mr. Suri.
“But, we are ramping up cleaning. We have recently proposed construction of a new toilet complex as well,” he added.
While the buses parked on Lodhi Road and Mathura Road slow down traffic, the authorities don’t seem to have any alternatives planned.
An official of the Nizamuddin police station said the buses did not have any “special permission” to park, but it had been a practice for many years.
The official added that police personnel and CCTV cameras were being used to keep an eye on law and order in the area, including where the pilgrims stay.
