Karam Prakash
Patiala, April 20
Basic amenities at grain markets, it seems, have been at the bottom of the priority list of the district authorities. In the absence of toilets, labourers and farmers defecate in the open.
The makeshift toilets available at grain markets do not offer much-needed privacy for women labourers. A group of women working at Daun Kalan grain market said they had to defecate in the open in nearby fields.
Babu Ram, who came from UP, said: “I have been coming here for 10 years and the basic facilities at rural grain markets are always missing.”
At Badaurgarh grain market, the situation was no different. Labourers said they had had to drink and bathe with the same water.
Patiala DC Sakshi Sawhney said she would ask officials concerned to visit the grain markets to check the facilities. “I will send the SDM to the grain markets. I have already issued instructions that all washrooms should be inspected,” she added.
No amenities, mandis in Patiala district raise stink
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