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Does Shimla offer enough safety & better treatment to women?

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Eve teasing in Shimla- victims share their worse experiences

SHIMLA- With the recent Delhi Gang rape case, all of a sudden, there is a huge hue and cry among the entire Nation which leaves many females including me wonder whether to feel proud that finally the Nation has one voice or laugh our hearts out that no measure is taken when the problem is at its initial stage and now all of a sudden the Nation awakens.

No doubt, what happened with the poor girl is something so horrible that it is beyond expression and when a place like National capital is so insecure so finally I tried to take stock of Shimla, a small capital of Himachal Pradesh and some people shared their experiences though not so extreme but something that should make authorities themselves bow their heads in shame.

One of a known second year college student narrated her most recent experience saying, “We were all walking in group to catch a bus from local bus stand to reach Summer Hill and we all took a shortcut from the CTO. While walking down the slope near the Command we had school students walking behind us. One of them commented chalo eke k ko utha lete hai and when one the girl objected saying they should consider their age, the boy shamelessly replied who cares about age these days? His reply left us all jaw dropped and without a word we people had to leave the place.”

On the other hand in my own locality few months back a young first year student was forcefully kissed by the general store owner when she had gone to get milk packets from his shop but unfortunately no police complaint was filed by the victim’s family considering the so called lark eke izzat ka swaal hai. The culprit is all free and is still running his shop and the worst part his own children were elder to the poor girl he laid his hand on.

While sharing experience in local public buses another girl, who was even one of my office collogue, had tears in her eyes when asked to share her any such experience. She after catching hold of herself shared “public transport especially after 6 in winters is not a blessing at all. So many people are yanked in like cattle and no all but some people try to feel you and it’s really unbearable. One cannot complain as they say it’s so crowded but being a female our sixth sense, do tell us the intention of the touch.”

Other than these experiences, the most shocking was of my neighbor who went shopping with her 3 years daughter. She happened to visit a footwear shop to buy her a slipper. She asked the salesman to show her something nice saying mujhe kuch sundar chaheye a common way any person describes what they want. But the reply she got was shocking the fellow says, “Sundar is on leave why do u need him?” and the owner of the shop himself was standing right there and didn’t say anything to the fellow for misbehaving but instead verbally pounced on the her.

Another debatable question is how to define weather it was eve teasing or not for incident some people feel sexy to be a compliment whereas for some it’s a comment. A girl finds some comments made on them objectionable but for police it’s something not so serious. For example if we consider missed calls from unknown numbers again the poor girls have nothing to say to police but they are mental harassment to them and poor victims are compelled to switch off their phones and many times even change their numbers permanently.

Another debatable question is how to define weather it was eve teasing or not for incident some people feel sexy to be a compliment whereas for some it’s a comment. A girl finds some comments made on them objectionable but for police it’s something not so serious.

Many local females find areas like Sanjauli, State Bank, Lakkar Bazzar, Lal Pani, Kalibari stretch and Local Bus stand as insecure zones and are all mentally prepared to hear comments any time of the day but especially evenings.

After the things go wrong, people make an issue out of it but when it is happening, no one bothers to help the victim for incident I personally once shouted for help while returning home from my work as someone blocked my way but people on road simply ignored as if they didn’t even hear it.

Personally have reported complaint for eve teasing but no action was taken and only I was told to avoid getting into the messy situation and definitely I too didn’t had any proof of the verbal comment so I too stepped back.
No wonder crime rate especially against women is less as we don’t raise our voice and we all live in illusion we are safe but deep down in our mind we know tomorrow is a new battle to fight and heaven knows Bakre ke ma kab tak khair mnaayege.

The name of the author and the victims have not been mentioned due to privacy issues

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“This is a ladies seat”

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Ladies seats in Himachal's buses

Shimla: Until now, I didn’t know the difference between a lady and a middle-aged woman when a ‘LADY’ on a local bus helped me distinguish it. While travelling in an overloaded local bus today, a voice from somewhere in the middle of the bus cracked into my ears saying “ye ladies seat hai.”

The irony of the situation was that the person who was trying to capture the so-called ladies seat was herself a lady, probably in her twenties. But, to my conscious, I came to know that women in their twenties are not considered ladies by other middle-aged ladies’. And, with no guilt, the ‘LADY’ took a seat proudly while the little ‘GIRL’ uttered softly but furiously “aap hi beth jao.”

The percentage of reserved seats for ladies in a local bus in Shimla is almost 50%. But this does not imply that women who are well built and enjoy a good health condition also cannot manage to stand for a few kms.

Reservation in India as a whole had already been criticized for a long time now.
But asking for a reservation for women and also granting it is not making women stronger or acceptable but weaker and vulnerable.

Women aren’t any minority in India who needs a reservation to prove themselves. And all women who think they need it are not strong enough to empower themselves.

Author: Tabbu Verma

Disclaimer:
Himachal Watcher may not necessarily share the same opinion as expressed by the author.

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Weeklong Harassment by Shimla’s Electricity and Water Departments

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    If you have a property (house) in Shimla but you don’t stay here, you could end up paying a price for it. Price not only in monetary terms but in terms of undue stress and pain.

    I had been living in Rajasthan for a few months now, leaving home in Shimla only to return for the surprise of my life.

    In today’s technologically advanced system, I could be considered liable for a moment, but what transpired because of my negligence (if you may) is something I don’t want anyone else to go through. This is why I’m sharing my bitter experience with the electricity board and water department in Shimla.

    Living away from hometown, I should have paid water and electricity bills for my home in Shimla. I should have; but, due to negligence or over involvement in personal chores, I was unable to pay the bills online.

    All the while, I had it in the back of the mind but I thought I will pay the bills (with whatever penalties) in person the next time I am in Shimla.

    I thought it would be easy. Instead, I was for a week of mental trauma.

    When I came back to Shimla, a few days back, there was no electricity and water supply to my home.

    Worried not bewildered, I lived with it for the night and planned a visit the concerned departments the next morning, to clear the pending bills and have the water and electricity supplies restored.

    To my surprise, it wasn’t as easy as I expected it to be.

    When I went to pay the electricity bill at Lakkar Bazaar ( the area where my house is), I was asked to go to the main office of the electricity board in Sanjauli. I went to Sanjauli, where I was told that electricity connection to my house had been cut, and I needed to apply for a new connection.

    I was told a fresh file, for a new connection, had to be made.Now I was certainly bewildered.

    From then onward, I was sent from one electricity office to another for different papers. To the DC office for affidavits– all the procedures had to be done from scratch.

    It took almost a week (six dark days precisely)to complete the entire procedure afresh. All this while I didn’t find one person in the electricity board who cared for the mental trauma I was going through or how my family would be living without electricity.

    Finally, after innumerable visits to various offices of the electricity board, I took the file to the JE office in Snowdown hospital.

    Here, I was meted with a shock. The courteous JE informed that my family didn’t have to stay without electricity for so many days, neither did I have to go through all the pain. JE said ‘power supply could have been restored to my home in matter of few hours after the bill payment and the process for new application could have been followed thereafter.’

    He then sent a person from his office along with me to the concerned office in Lakkar Bazaar. Finally, we saw a bright night at my place.

    JE was the only person in the entire electricity board who talked nicely, gave me correct guidance and helped solve my problem.

    My worries were not just limited to the electricity board. I was all this while simultaneously running pillar to post to pay my water bill and have the water supply restored.

    The issue was an elaborate water bill, which was beyond anyone’s understanding. For us, we should have only been charged the meter rent because we had not used water for months.

    This is when I learned about plugging connection. When you are not at home and would not be using water for months, the water department requires you to plug the connection.

    This ensures you’ve only billed the meter rent and not for the usage (though, how do you end up using water when you’re not home stays an arguable story for me).

    During the weeklong process, I was not only without electricity at home, there was no water too.

    Considering myself a defaulter, I silently kept doing what the office bearers in the department were asking me to do.I was ready to follow the procedure but it was such a pain to see that no officer was considerate enough to help resolve the issue soon. Instead, I was made to run from one office to another with documents that were not even required.

    It took me eight long days to pay the pending bills, apply to have the water meter plugged, and to have water supply restored to my house.

    This was it, I couldn’t have taken anymore but the water department wasn’t done with its lackluster attitude.
    After a month of submitting the application to get the water meter plugged, I again received an inflated bill. I called the water billing office for clarity.

    After making an infinite number of calls, I was finally informed that the water meter of my home was still not plugged.

    Alas! What had I done wrong to deserve this?

    Immediately, I called up Mr. Laxmi Thakur (the person) responsible for plugging the water meter. He said ‘Madam, I plugged your meter the same day you asked me to’.

    The linesman was a helpful fellow.He took it upon himself and went to the billing office to check why I was still getting huge bills despite the meter being plugged.

    Post inquiry, he informed me that my file had reached the water department from Mayor’s office the same day I submitted it but people in the billing office didn’t update the same on their computer systems.
    With Mr Thakur’s efforts, my bill was recreated with the correct amount, which I then paid off instantly.

    Awareness tips

    •If electricity connection to your house is disconnected for non-payment of a bill, go directly to the JE of your area. The JE will escalate the matter and power supply will be restored. Now, follow the formalities, as guided, and get a new connection

    •If you have property in Shimla but you’re out and not using IPH water supply, get your meter plugged to avoid rentals above the meter rent

    By Rajni, Shimla

    Photo: Sk-bent ex

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Sensitivity where art thou, Shimla cries for you

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Urbanization of shimla

Times are changing alright; we are progressing with age and time has come when pace of Shimla is matching the pace of most developed cities in India. Time was when modesty, selflessness and compassion flowed through the heart of residents of the Queen of Hill. With development and large scale urbanization, the mindset of the town is changing – and the change is demeaning the basic culture and charm of the city.

Development and urbanization are slow poison to say. Initially they taste refreshing – refreshing to the extent that humans are lured so magnetically to them. Culminating effect is fatal. Shimla is sipping on this slow poison and is headed for self destruction.

Who is to blame? Finger pointing comes naturally to Indians, so when I ask this, all of us will have our fingers pointed at the administration.

Constitutionally this is correct – and why not, the administration and public representatives we have voted to power are responsible for it all. If there is uncontrolled urbanization – government policies should have been framed to avoid it. If there is unmanageable garbage on roads, pollution in the air and contaminated water in the taps – administration should have strict measures in place. But, considerable citizens are we the main contributors to this?

I once read “your character is what you are when you are alone”, and it has stayed with me ever since. I bring this up to validate my point. We citizens are primarily responsible for the rumpus we confront in the town of late.

Himachalis, the residents of the abode of snow, are by virtue sensitive to change, sensitive to our culture and sensitive to the surroundings. Thus, for Shimlaites this sense of sensitivity comes by default.

Change is the only constant. Change we must and so we are steadily. We are more literate, more monetarily concerned and at near prime of a standard of living. Culturally we are still rooted – probably our previous generation has instilled this sense in us. Concern looms on our sensitivity to the surroundings.

We are literate, but our education has defaulted somewhere. We are concerned but our sensitivity is lost somewhere. We blame but our self-conscience has gone astray.

Back in school (this would be some 20 years back) moral science and civics was taught to me. Back then I never realized how my consciousness towards little civic duties and efforts towards betterment of my surrounding would make a difference. Today I realize it, but my neighbour makes me believe, I am in the wrong part of the world with an unwanted conscience.

How justified is it then to be the run off the mill? Is what your neighbour doing the correct way to do things, I often ask this to myself. I don’t get an answer – an answer is difficult to find because ‘this is India and nothing is going to change here ever.’ This cliché must have reached your ears a number of times. I am growing old listening to it.

Certainly this is not how it should be, at least that sensitivity instilled in me by being part of the hill state, tells me so. Calling out to all who follow – Change we must!

Change to ask questions, why my rights are being murdered by incapable, narrow sighted governance. Change to come to terms with my sensitivity to question that neighbour who stays and feeds on my city’s resources but fails to do his bit in return. Change to question my own acts when I’m in public or when I am walking down the road by myself.

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