CHENNAI: Why does the general public shun corporation toilets?
Is it the toilet’s location, lack of basic amenities or even a flashy exterior? These are among a cluster of reasons that the corporation thinks its toilet facilities find low user patronage.
At just around 1,000, the corporation has too few number of toilets to meet the needs of a burgeoning city like Chennai and its increasing floating population.
However, the existing facilities too have been neglected by the general public due to well-documented reasons such as poor maintenance, lack of water supply and basic hygiene among others.
The drive to assess the reasons now comes in the backdrop of the just-concluded Swachh Survekshan survey. “The ground reality is that the numbers are not proportionate and even when there are restrooms available, they are not appealing to the public,” said an official.
“We have tried to narrow down the reasons but the popular feedback is that the exteriors of a toilet is putting off a lot of people. Some have suggested that the modern toilet units should have some sort of illumination, so that it is easy to spot for users,” the official added.
To address the persistent issue of open defecation and public urination that lack of restrooms give rise to, Corporation is once again in the process of inviting tenders for setting up of modern toilet units like Namma Toilet, E-Toilet and She-Toilet among others.
“We have not completely moved over the conventional toilet structures. We will consider each case by its own merit. In large bus terminii, railway stations and the like, the conventional structure is still very much the apt model,” an official said.
