Meghana Nair, now famous as the Bengaluru FC fan who was upgraded to the prestigious owner’s box after she tweeted to the Indian Super League football club seeking permission to carry hot water from her house to the Kanteerava Stadium on a matchday, says that the staff at metro stations are unsympathetic towards pregnant women. It was in the middle of nowhere and we had to walk for some time before we reached the main road and got another cab,” she recounts. When we kept protesting, he asked us to get out. Our driver took another less-travelled road, despite us repeatedly requesting him not too, as that route was very bumpy and I was seven months pregnant at that time. “We have to cross KR Puram and many drivers are reluctant to take that route on weekends for fear of getting stuck in traffic. Prebitha recounts a nightmarish experience she and her husband faced while taking an Uber from Nagavara to their house in Avalahalli. Travelling was another hassle, with cabs charging exorbitant fares and not being safe and public transport turning out to be unreliable. I had a tough time getting home from office during the months I worked while pregnant,” she says. “And during rains, the leachate from this waste would flow onto the roads, making them slick and slippery. Piles of garbage on the roads near residential areas are another health hazard she encountered, especially because these attracted dogs and rodents. “We can’t walk fast, even if we feel unsafe, making us vulnerable to anti-social elements.” Rashmi Sharma, who recently had a baby, says skywalks in the city’s outskirts are not properly lit, posing serious safety challenges for women using it after dark. Unlit skywalks and Improper garbage disposal Because of this inconvenience, I even stopped going to many places,” she says. “I used to carry extra panties because you don’t have toilets everywhere and it’s so difficult to find a good toilet, except in malls and hospitals. Prebitha Alex, a homemaker with two young children, says that she struggled with a lack of access to clean toilets and limited commute options. From searching far and wide for clean public toilets to back-breaking rides on bumpy roads, pregnant women, especially those in their advanced stages of pregnancy, face a host of problems. From shabby and unkempt public facilities to the crumbling infrastructure of the city, mothers-to-be in India’s Silicon Valley navigate a maze of obstacles every day.
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