‘Lost job after asking to use toilet,' claims woman worker from Delhi construction site
At a labour hub in Delhi, women construction workers like Anguri and Mamta are forced to work in harsh conditions without access to basic amenities, including toilets. With no proper place to relieve themselves or manage their menstrual cycle, many face serious health risks. They also fear losing their daily wages if they speak up. One of the women workers, while speaking to The Indian Express, recalled an incident where the owner of a five-storey house refused to let her use the toilet inside. 'He removed me from the job,' she says.
Originally from Uttar Pradesh, they migrated to Delhi in search of daily-wage construction work. Now, like many others, they wait at the chowk hoping to be hired for the day.
Anguri, however, isn't feeling well. Her thighs are sore. She had to squat while working on her period with no proper toilet nearby. 'We go to the washroom before work; if we say it's urgent… we fear the contractor will remove us,' she told Indian Express.
Mamta speaks quietly, surrounded by men smoking beedis. 'We use a cloth during our menstrual cycle… there's no safe space to change it. We are forced to find a quiet spot and flip the cloth… We end up using the same cloth from 8 am till 6 pm.'
Across Delhi-NCR, thousands of women construction workers face similar challenges. Most sites lack safe, clean toilets — even though the law requires them. The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, makes it mandatory for employers to provide proper toilets, food canteens, and child care at sites.
Back at the chowk, a contractor is yet to arrive. Anguri takes off her torn blue slippers and sits on them, adjusting her saree. She remembers being thrown out of a job for asking to use a washroom inside a nearly completed home. 'He removed me from the job,' she says. Then, pointing to her wrist, she adds, 'How are we different? If you cut my wrist, you'll find the same colour of blood.'
Roughly 20 km away, at the newly constructed World Trade Centre in Nauroji Nagar, another group of women face similar problems. The complex now houses 12 towers, fancy offices, parking, and a rooftop restaurant — but those building it are denied even a clean toilet.
Working outside the towers are Kallad, in her 60s, and 25-year-old Rupa Devi. Kallad scrapes dried cement off the pavement with a tool. She's been at this site for over a year, doing everything from lifting bricks to mixing cement. 'Jawaharlal stadium ki buniyaad humare saamne dali. I know many places in Delhi,' she says with pride.
But each day brings a new hunt — not for work, but for a usable toilet. The site has four portable toilets, but the smell is unbearable. Rupa checks one but quickly walks away. 'We prefer paying ₹ 5 to use the public washroom located at a distance outside the complex,' she says.
Though there are washrooms inside the buildings, the women say they aren't allowed to use them. 'The guard keeps the door of the washrooms located inside the building locked. Kehta hai sir/madam log ke liye hai,' says Kallad. 'They don't let us in,' Rupa adds, sipping from a water bottle softened by the heat.
She says they even asked the staff to clean the portable toilets, but nothing changed.
In an email response to Indian Express, NBCC said:
'The main construction work at the site has been completed. Currently, interior fit-out works are being undertaken by respective buyers. However, during the active construction phase, the following measures were implemented: Temporary labour camps with adequate ventilation; mobile toilets and bathing facilities were provided; daily spraying of bleaching powder in toilets; drains and waste collection points were ensured; regular cleaning and disinfection of sanitation facilities was carried out…'
When asked who was responsible for setting up the mobile toilets, an NBCC official — who didn't want to be named — said, 'There is no clarity on who set it up; it could be the owners who are carrying out interior fitting work, since NBCC work is complete.'
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