A Bathroom Slipper or a Pot?
Confusing? Funny? Or simply an outrageous heading? Well, however obnoxious it may sound, unfortunately, it is vehemently in practice in many high rises. Recently a group of young people placed a pot to unload party stuff from the lift. And a viral video of a maidservant placing her bathroom slipper to hold a lift-opened Pandora’s box of civic issues faced by the residents living in high rises.
Noida has seen a blooming development in recent years. High-rise apartments and Societies have mushroomed like never before. With hoards of people coming in every year for employment the space seems to be shrinking and hence coming up of high rises. While these housing societies and apartments provide attractive facilities, they come with their own set of cons.
Magnificent clubhouses, lush green lawns, splendid pools and gyms provide an impressive outlook and people flock to them. But there are problems that the insiders have to have to face daily. Sometimes these problems are due to the management or builders which are highlighted in the newspapers and channels but very surprisingly often problems arise due to the sheer lack of civic sense in co-inhabitants who seldom find expression on a larger platform. Coming from small towns or cities some residents still think of their apartment as a standstill unit with abject disregard for the co-residents. These matters can be petty but are a huge nuisance for those falling victim regularly. For example, water dripping from one AC unit onto another becomes a point of contention between people. Then there is an issue of water dripping from the laundry and falling on the clothes of the ones living below. This is still bearable compared to what a few residents living on the ground floor have to bear. A very frustrated resident complains that her beautifully decorated patio becomes a receiving ground for things like used sanitary napkins, soiled diapers and even condoms – things which our editorial board was sceptical to even mention here and people do not have any shame in throwing these down in somebody’s house. How revolting is that! How can people throw such things on others that they consider not fit to be disposed of in the dustbins of their homes? Is this sheer apathy or a callous attitude?
Pet poop, gutkha stains and left-over cigarette butts are other things that can be seen in public spaces. There is a general perception that educated people do not have these habits but it comes as a rude shock that so-called educated and well-off people do have these cringy habits. A few Societies and colonies have come up with fining the erring occupants. The management has fixed a certain amount that is charged and goes along with maintenance slips. While this action does act as a Living deterrent yet does not provide a complete solution. An ideal solution would be when people realize that living in apartments means living in a community and there are a few unwritten rules that need to be followed.
