Appeals for public facilities in area multiply after 50-year-old woman, who was answering nature's call in Aarey Colony, was mauled to death
November 05, 2012
Mumbai
Ranjeet Jadhav
The suspected animal was captured on Saturday night
The spot where Shwetha Paghe was attacked on Friday night. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar
Rakesh Wadkar, one of the locals, said, “We have been staying in the pada for ages and have often spotted leopards in the area. But we are shocked because this is the first time that a human being was attacked. I feel attacks can be prevented if the government constructs public toilets in the area, so that people don’t have to go in the open to answer nature’s call.”
Several such leopard attacks had occurred in the past when the animal mistook the crouching person for a small prey.
Commenting on the leopard’s capture, Director and Chief Conservator of Forests Sunil Limaye said, “First of all I would like to make it clear that the captured animal is a suspected killer, because we are not sure whether it was the same one that attacked the women. We have brought the animal to the leopard rehabilitation centre at SGNP and are monitoring its behaviour. The leopard is a full-grown male — aged between four and five years —and is already fitted with an electronic chip. Also, we have images of the same leopard that were captured through our camera traps. The animal is completely fit and at present has been kept under observation. We will release it back into the forest in a day or two.”
Politicospeak
Local MNS Corporator Avinash Sawant said, “In order to avoid further attacks, I have decided to provide halogen lights to the villagers, which they should install in the area so that animal does not come near their houses. I will make sure that public toilets are constructed using corporator fund.”
Expertspeak
Rajesh Sanap of Mumbaikars for SGNP, which works with Borivli national officials on a regular basis, said, “The leopard trapped on Saturday night is the one that was captured by our camera trap set at Kanheri caves a few months ago. I personally feel that attack on humans will come down if people ensure that somebody accompanies them whenever they step out to answer nature’s call in the night. They should always carry a torch with them.”
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Indian government launches 'no lavatory, no bride' campaign
The Indian government has launched a 'no lavatory, no bride' campaign, telling women to reject potential suitors if they cannot provide an inside lavatory.
More than 75 per cent of the population
has a mobile phone subscription in India, while only half of its
households have a lavatory Photo: ALAMY
2:49PM BST 22 Oct 2012
11 Comments
The comments were made by India's controversial rural development minister,
Jairam Ramesh, who recently angered Hindus by pointing out there were more
temples than lavatories for the country's 1.2 billion people.
In a speech to villagers in Rajasthan, he said it wasn't enough for families
to check astrological charts to decide if a young man is suitable, they
should also inspect his closet.
"You consult astrologers about rahu-ketu (the alignment of sun and moon)
before getting married. You should also look whether there is a toilet in
your groom's home before you decide don't get married in a house where there
is no toilet," he warned.
His comments are part of a series of speeches and schemes to increase the
number of indoor lavatories in a country where more have a mobile phone than
a lavatory.
More than 900 million – 75 per cent of the population – has a mobile phone
subscription in India, while only half of its households have a lavatory,
according to last year's census. Only 11 per cent of homes have a lavatory
connected to the sewerage system.
The shortfall means India
is the world's "largest open-air toilet", the minister
said earlier this year.
The problem is worse for India's women, many of whom are forced to rise before dawn to do their ablutions under cover of darkness. There have been a number of cases reported recently of women being raped or assaulted while searching for somewhere to go to the lavatory.
A spokesman for the minister agreed that if all young women backed his call, there would be far fewer weddings. But he said Mr Ramesh will continue making his call in a series of speeches throughout the country.
"We need to remove the open defecation system. This is a continuing campaign to eradicate it," he said.
Brindeshwar Pathak, founder of the sanitation charity Sulabh International said India had yet to eradicate open defecation more than two millennia after the problem was described by its great political thinker Kautilya in around 300 BC.
The government should offer cheap loans to help people build lavatories and defecating in the open "should be a punishable offence," he said.
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Ramesh’s toilet, temple remarks draw BJP flak
(Rural development minister…)
NEW DELHI: Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh's comment that
"toilets were more important than temples" has triggered a row, with the
BJP slamming it as offending the religious sentiments and Congress
clarifying it had respect for all religions.
The unlikely row erupted in the backdrop of Ramesh's comment that the country had more temples than toilets, stressing that open defecation was the main reason for hygiene-related problems.
The unlikely row erupted in the backdrop of Ramesh's comment that the country had more temples than toilets, stressing that open defecation was the main reason for hygiene-related problems.
While the comment appeared to stress the criticality of toilets for
poor, the minister's formulation by contrasting it with the abundance of
temples sparked off a controversy. BJP accused him of offending the
religious sentiments. "Making of toilets and having faith in a religious
place of worship are two different things. India is a multi-cultural
country where we should have unblemished faith in a temple, a mosque, a
gurdwara or a church.
You cannot juxtapose the two," said BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
In a caustic advice, Rudy said that Ramesh should desist from political statement and instead concentrate on "salvaging the battered image of the UPA government".
The main opposition said it was foolhardy to get into a debate about what was more important between toilet and temple. "It would be good for Ramesh that he stops making such comments which will destroy the fine fabric of religion and faith," Rudy said.
Congress quickly sought to bury the row by affirming its faith in all religions even as it claimed ignorance about Ramesh's statement. AICC spokesman Manish Tewari said, "We respect the sanctity of every religious place irrespective of the community it belongs to. I do not know the statement attributed to Ramesh. Perhaps, it could have been distorted and he is in the best position to explain."
You cannot juxtapose the two," said BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
In a caustic advice, Rudy said that Ramesh should desist from political statement and instead concentrate on "salvaging the battered image of the UPA government".
The main opposition said it was foolhardy to get into a debate about what was more important between toilet and temple. "It would be good for Ramesh that he stops making such comments which will destroy the fine fabric of religion and faith," Rudy said.
Congress quickly sought to bury the row by affirming its faith in all religions even as it claimed ignorance about Ramesh's statement. AICC spokesman Manish Tewari said, "We respect the sanctity of every religious place irrespective of the community it belongs to. I do not know the statement attributed to Ramesh. Perhaps, it could have been distorted and he is in the best position to explain."
