Fine no deterrence for open defecation

Coimbatore:Activists opine that open defecation in Coimbatore will exist as long as public toilets continue to be ill-maintained and unavailable to all sections of society.

The public toilets at Gandhipuram bus terminal stink, so are the ones in Race Course and Ukkadam. If they are a wee bit clean, the contractors overcharge the users, decries RTI activist A. Manoj.Most public toilets tend to collect more than the stipulated Rs 1. “It is always Rs 3 or more. No token is issued for this amount, due to which lodging a complaint on fleecing becomes difficult,” says Manoj.

The charges are not displayed on boards, and the phone numbers that need to be contacted for complaints most often do not even have 10 digits. “The contractors categorically state that Rs 1 is too little money to maintain and provide salaries for the staff manning the toilets. However, following a complaint at the public toilet at Gandhipuram bus stand, a fine of Rs 1,40,000 has been levied. The licence of the contractor in charge of the Ukkadam toilet was also cancelled by corporation commissioner G. Latha following complaints,” says Manoj.

The opposition DMK councillors also insist that people who cannot afford toilets in their households should not be fined Rs 100 for open defecation. The corporation should first build public toilets near slums before slapping fines on poor people, said DMK councillor Meena Logu, who staged a walkout from the council meeting which passed a resolution on imposing fine for public defection.

As the debate rages over public toilets and civic hygiene, at least 60 mobile toilets, costing Rs 3.30 crore, that were placed in and around the World Classical Tamil conference venue during the erstwhile DMK regime, have not been used and have been dumped at the Vellalore garbage dumpyard.