A social media user named DS Balaji has created an online debate over his ‘unhygienic’ experience of visiting Kolkata. He called the city of joy ‘the dirtiest city of India’ after visiting some areas that are packed with filth and overflowing garbage and open gutters.
DS Balaji is a designer by profession. He recently posted images and videos from Sealdah and Bada Bazaar area to to comment on the open gutters and the smell of urine. “Can’t breathe properly,” he wrote, noting how he was choking, while locals were casually having breakfast at a shop located atop one of the gutters.
“Kolkata – The Dirtiest City of India. Sharing my personal experience, of the recent visit to the Capital of West Bengal. The most unhygienic experience I have had in an Indian city. Requesting to take this thread positively. Though I don’t care much if you don’t,” Mr Balaji wrote in the caption.
“This is not some Starving African city, it’s Kolkata. A busy Metro station, Called Sealdah. And a market area called Bada Bazaar. Open gutters, and urine smell everywhere. Can’t breathe properly. While locals were enjoying breakfast from a shop on top of the gutter nearby,” he added in the following tweet.
The X user also posted few photographs of a vegetable market that he had visited, which he claimed has put him off so much that he apparently could not eat properly during his stay in Kolkata. “The food which you will eat is kept on a gutter, filthy smelling floor. While people are just fighting, abusing and spitting here and there. I didn’t eat proper food for two days of stay in Kolkata,” he said.
Mr Balaji also talked about the infrastructure of the city. He said, “The buildings in this city would have fallen like a pack of cards in a high intensity earthquake.”
“People seemed to be in some high survival mechanism. Everyone is trying to grab money from outsiders. Taxi would charge you extra, if you ask them to drop 50m close to the hotel. And would abuse you if you don’t comply with their bullying,” he added.
Further, the social media user recalled an unpleasant experience he had at the famous Kaali Ghaat temple. He said he literally lost thousands of rupees inside the Kaali Ghaat temple. The local pandas surrounded him, offering VIP darshan in exchange for money, and attempted to sell him various religious items. “Even inside the Temple, the priest would get agitated if you don’t pay them,” he further wrote.
“I personally felt Kolkata to be the most depressing, low energy, low-frequency city. I may have visited all the wrong places, at all at the wrong times. As a caring aware Indian citizen, I wish the best, for this city. May it improve, grow, and build like others,” Mr Balaji concluded.
Reacting to the tweet, a user commented, “Kolkata is like a big Dhravi… I was once there a year ago, apart from Newton and Salt lake, whole city smell like gutter.”
Another user commented, “Not only Kolkatta, I would say almost 80% Cities in India is like this… From top metro to 3rd tire cities have this issue. Have lived in Chennai & Bangalore and traveled to Delhi & Mumbai same things are very common. Trivandrum in Kerala is some what cleaner !”
A third user wrote, “U didn’t say that these areas are hubs of different items.. Bada Bazar is Asia’s largest spices market and Asia’s largest Flower market. Sealdah has world’s one of the largest fruit market. You talk about hygiene but the crowd pulled in these areas on a daily basis is tremendous.”
See the viral tweet here:
Kolkata – The Dirtiest City of India
ThreadSharing my personal experience, of the recent visit to the Capital of West Bengal. The most unhygienic experience I have had in an Indian city.
Requesting to take this thread positively. “Though I don’t care much if you don’t.” pic.twitter.com/SWr4DgSFui
— DS Balaji (@balajidbv) November 5, 2024