Delhi: How a bunch of women changed Nizamuddin locality
What's the story
Locals residing in Nizamuddin, Delhi needed to walk to bus-stops far away, since their area didn't have one. In place of the facility, stood a pole, where most buses didn't stop making their lives difficult. Not being the one sitting idle, these took it upon themselves to change things - they wrote multiple letters to DTC and finally got a bus-stop in February this year. Here's their story.
Who are they?
How a small initiative turned to be beneficial for all
Women of Mohalla Health Sanitation Committees (MHSC) formed under Aga Khan Trust for Culture's (AKTC) urban renewal initiative agreed that a bus-stop was essential in Lodhi Hotel/Shiv Mandir area. Women sometimes fainted standing in the sun waiting for a bus, children risked meeting an accident. MHSC women then wrote to DTC in 2016 asking for a bus stop listing all the reasons.
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How absence of bus stop made life difficult for locals
A member of MHSC said, "In the heat sometimes, we would wait for the bus for so long that some women would faint. The elderly had no place to sit, the children would run around and risk getting into accidents."
Hard work pays off
A letter and numerous follow-ups later, facility arrives
After writing the letter, Shabnam Ruhi, member of MHSC received one from Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (DTIDC) and told in due time, work for bus stop would be taken up. The women regularly visited DTIDC office in Kashmere Gate to understand the progress. On February 17, this year, their continuous follow-ups paid off, as the bus-stop was made available for public use.
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Much more than a bus stop for these amazing women
With the bus stop, women now feel safer. Shabnam Ruhi added, "The lack of a bus stop meant buses on routes 423 and 419, which cross AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital, were not stopping there. They would just take the flyover; now they stop."
Details
No more 'andheri gali': After bus-stop, women demand street lights
After getting the bus-stop in their area, women of MHSC demanded street lights to be installed in the infamous area of 'andheri gali', where harassment was common. They met South Delhi Municipal Corporation councilor Yasmin Kidwai and the next day, the dark alley was lit. "It is believed such dealings are left to men; it's phenomenal when the women take it up," said Kidwai.