City Pulse

Mumbai, Maharashtra: B​rihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to make access to public toilets free across the city in its fiscal budget for the year 2018-19. The civic body scrapped the concept of ‘pay and use toilets’ after being criticized by citizens and activists. It plans to generate required revenue for maintenance through advertising on the walls of public toilets.

Around 1,100 ‘pay and use’ toilets of Mumbai are maintained by around 200 NGOs. The charges for using these toilets were between Rs 2 and Rs 5.

Some NGOs that build and maintain community toilets claim BMC’s initiative will not make Mumbai open-defecation free and will rather lead to rise in manual scavenging in the city.

“We had discussed this issue with the BMC and suggested that only few toilets be made free to use. There is lack of manpower for cleanliness of these toilets. BMC should first provide water and electricity in these public toilets,” says Dayanand Jadhav, executive director of Triratna Prerna Mandal, an NGO that built the community toilet in Santacruz and also maintains it. They are also mobilizing resources to build a community toilet in Mankhurd.

BMC officials, however, blame poor maintenance of ‘pay and use’ toilets for its decision to take the matter in own hands.

“As per agreement, ‘pay and use’ toilets were constructed and maintained by private organisations, but BMC was criticised for their negligence. Now, we will take over maintenance of these toilets,” says Kiran Dighavkar, assistant commissioner, A-ward, BMC and nodal officer for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

“We are planning to give a uniform look to these toilets by bringing in architects to incorporate modern design elements. Ladies toilets will have features like baby-care room, provision of sanitary napkins etc,” adds Dighavkar.​ 

He says the BMC will generate revenue by auctioning the advertising space on toilets.

‘Open defecation only way for us’

While the municipal authority has taken construction and maintenance of public toilets in own hands, residents in many slums across the city still do not have access to one.

“We do not even have proper houses, toilet is a distant dream. Why are the authorities not concerned regarding this? We have Aadhaar card, voter identification card. We work in this city, but nothing is being done to improve our living conditions. Promises galore before every election that toilets will be constructed, houses will be built. But, nothing is done. To defecate in the open is the only way for us,” says Jaynarayan Ray, who resides at Indiranagar slum, near Borivali railway station.

Several slums in the city have community toilets, but residents have to pay a monthly amount for cleanliness and maintenance in order to be able to use these. “We pay Rs 30 every month to a person for cleaning the toilet constructed by the municipality,” says Surekha, who works as a house help and resides in a slum near Dahisar.

Cleanliness major concern

Cleanliness at public toilets is another major concern due to which some Mumbaikars avoid using them.

“Public toilets are being inaugurated at different places in the city, but these should be maintained as well. I got a toilet constructed in my house because public toilets were not clean,” says Rajashree, a resident of a slum in Thane.

The BMC is inspecting public toilets in each ward and has allocated Rs 10 crore for this project in the 2018-19 budget.

“We are constructing a ladies toilet near Gateway of India as we had received many complaints from that area. Another toilet near Air India building is being rebuilt. The areas have been shortlisted and the work has begun,” says Dighavkar.