BMC to set up toilets with lavatory in all 67 wards | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Three toilets each with lavatory will be constructed by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in its 67 wards to improve sanitation and stop open defecation and urination. These toilets will be constructed from BMC’s own funds. They are separate from the public toilets that have urinals only, and are constructed and maintained by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation (SISSO).
BMC additional commissioner Suvendu Sahu said there will be two urinal points and a lavatory in the toilet complex, which will be considerably smaller compared to the public facilities. “The toilets with latrines will cater to the needs of outstation people, who otherwise find it difficult to find such a facility in wards. Most of the public toilets are constructed at vantage points and along the arteries but not inside wards. The toilets with lavatory will be helpful for them,” said Sahu.
Public toilets in the city are mostly maintained by SISSO, and each toilet is cleaned four times a day by the agency. Community toilets are maintained by the ward sanitation committee of a particular locality. However, BMC is yet to decide on how to keep the proposed toilets with lavatories clean. Now, sanitary inspector of a particular area files a daily report on cleanliness of the toilets.
BMC officials said each toilet complex will cost Rs 4.5 lakh, and the total construction cost for all the wards will be around Rs 9 crore. Sahu said cleanliness of public toilets is being given top priority based on people’s feedback and inspection by the sanitary inspectors. “If toilets remain clean, people will use them. So, we have asked the sanitary inspectors to ensure their cleaning four times a day. During Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, public toilets were cleaned more than four times,” said Sahu.
The city currently has 108 public, 71 community, and 40 smart toilets with close to 2,000 seats. From the tenure of the previous govt, the user fee for public toilets has been exempted.
BMC additional commissioner Suvendu Sahu said there will be two urinal points and a lavatory in the toilet complex, which will be considerably smaller compared to the public facilities. “The toilets with latrines will cater to the needs of outstation people, who otherwise find it difficult to find such a facility in wards. Most of the public toilets are constructed at vantage points and along the arteries but not inside wards. The toilets with lavatory will be helpful for them,” said Sahu.
Public toilets in the city are mostly maintained by SISSO, and each toilet is cleaned four times a day by the agency. Community toilets are maintained by the ward sanitation committee of a particular locality. However, BMC is yet to decide on how to keep the proposed toilets with lavatories clean. Now, sanitary inspector of a particular area files a daily report on cleanliness of the toilets.
BMC officials said each toilet complex will cost Rs 4.5 lakh, and the total construction cost for all the wards will be around Rs 9 crore. Sahu said cleanliness of public toilets is being given top priority based on people’s feedback and inspection by the sanitary inspectors. “If toilets remain clean, people will use them. So, we have asked the sanitary inspectors to ensure their cleaning four times a day. During Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, public toilets were cleaned more than four times,” said Sahu.
The city currently has 108 public, 71 community, and 40 smart toilets with close to 2,000 seats. From the tenure of the previous govt, the user fee for public toilets has been exempted.
