Haj House: No Women Toilets, Visitor Toilets Locked

 Hyderabad: A woman employee working in one of the minority welfare departments housed in the Haj House at Nampally is forced to hold her bladder for hours every day. The reason — there is no separate restroom for women employees, and the common toilet is in a filthy condition. She manages to relieve herself only when she returns home for lunch.

“As I live nearby, I use the restroom at home during lunch. There should be basic facilities like toilets for women. Even public places have separate washrooms, but not here. There’s also no separate prayer hall for visitors. A small room on the sixth floor is meant only for staff,” said Fatima.

This correspondent faced a similar experience while trying to locate a women’s toilet in the building. When asked, several employees replied in unison: “There are no separate toilets for women.” The Haj House accommodates key minority welfare offices, including the Telangana Waqf Board, Haj Committee and Urdu Academy, with around 50 women employees across departments.

The situation is worse for visitors. Despite the steady flow of people to the building, there are no usable toilets for them. Separate washrooms for men and women exist outside the building, but they remain locked throughout the year and are opened only during the Haj pilgrimage season.

“There are common washrooms on every floor, but most have broken taps, leaking pipes or no water. Sometimes we fix things ourselves. Even furniture like working tables is in short supply,” complained an employee.

Maintenance staff said the common washrooms are cleaned daily up to the seventh floor, while the upper floors are attended to only during the Haj camp. Repeated calls to Waqf Board chairman Azmatullah Hussaini and CEO Md Asadullah for comment on the issue went unanswered.

The Haj House in Nampally

The Haj House in Nampally presents another sorry sight — its walls, floors and staircases are splattered with red stains from paan and gutka. The unsightly blotches reflect both poor maintenance and the lack of civic sense among visitors.

Dark red stains are visible in every corner despite repeated efforts by staff to stop visitors from spitting inside the building. Employees have urged the authorities to impose strict penalties on those who chew and spit paan.

A member of the maintenance team said that the walls are cleaned regularly, but the problem persists. “The Haj House is a pilgrim centre where people from across Telangana come to submit applications. Visitors from other states also arrive here for the Haj departure process. There must be strict action to stop this nuisance,” an official said.