An out-of-order condom-vending machine in Paltan Bazar. Picture by UB Photos

Jan. 18: A man approaches a medicine retail store at Paltan Bazar around 4.30pm. He waits for other customers to leave before he enters and quietly requests the shop-keeper for a pack of condoms. The shop-owner wraps the box with paper and hands it over to the man, who then pays and leaves.

“I wrapped the packet because people always find it difficult to carry it in the open. If I do not wrap it, they ask me to do so because people here are not comfortable buying condoms,” said the vendor.

But then again, people here also do not have the luxury of using street-side condom vending machines, as the machines, installed by the Assam AIDS Control Society a few years back, have been non-functional for some time now because of lack of proper maintenance.

Like all government schemes for prevention of HIV/AIDS, the society had launched the project and installed condom vending machines in various parts of the city in 2006 with a lot of publicity.

The first vending machine was installed in front of the Paltan Bazar police station, close to Guwahati railway station, and gradually, at least 100 such machines were installed in other locations like Ganeshguri, Beltola, Basistha, Noonmati, Adabari, Khanapara, Maligaon, Kalapahar, Narangi and on the NH 37 stretch between Jalukabari and Jorabat.

But most of the vending machines are non-functional now, as they were either damaged by people or have not been maintained for a long time. The machine installed at Paltan Bazar has been out of order for about two years.

According to NGOs, Paltan Bazar is a high vulnerability locality in terms of HIV/AIDS because of its the proximity to the railway station. Besides, it is an area frequented by prostitutes.

An NGO member, who works among people with HIV/AIDS, said the machines were installed on the highway keeping in mind the fact that many truckers, who often use the services of prostitutes, drive along this route.

“Truckers fall under the high-risk group as they remain out of their homes for long periods and often have multiple sexual partners. But the vending machines installed on the stretch of the highway, which were meant for the truckers, have been out of order for quite some time now,” he said.

The State AIDS Control Society officials said installation of the machines was taken up under its Social Marketing Project but the project was “almost closed” because of lack of support from the people who were given the responsibility of maintaining the machines.

“The machines on the highways were installed after discussions with the truckers’ association, but they are now non-functional because we are not getting the association’s support. We are, however, distributing free condoms through various NGOs,” one of the officials said.

“Guwahati is growing fast and has a growing floating population. Also, as people here are still not comfortable buying condoms, and are used to contraceptive pills or other birth-control devices, there should be more vending machines,” an NGO member said.