City to get 90 precast readymade toilets

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 9

Aiming to score better in the Swachhta Survey in the year 2018 as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan launched by the Central Government, the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda, will soon install at least 90 precast readymade toilets in the city. The Finance and Contract Committee of the MCB has given its nod to the project during a meeting convened last week.

As per MC officials, the main purpose of installing these toilets in the city is to make the city open-defecation free. The focus of the MC while selecting the points of installation of these toilets will be on market placed and slum areas.

“Market places are being targeted to check the bad habit of urination in the open. If toilets are provided in the vicinity, people would certainly prefer using these over relieving themselves in the open. Focus is also on slum areas since residents of the hutments have no option but to answer a call of nature in the open. The readymade toilets will be of great use at such places as well,” said Mayor Balwant Rai Nath.

The precast toilets, which will be made of concrete, are expected to cost the MCB Rs 54,000. During the meeting, F&CC approval was given to the agenda of spending Rs 48.5 lakh on procurement of 90 pre-cast readymade toilets to be installed in slum areas to make the city open defecation free.

MC Commissioner Sanyam Aggarwal said MC expenditure incurred for these toilets will be paid for from the funds released by the central government under its Swachh Bharat Campaign. The commissioner added that the work on the installation of these toilets will begin soon and is expected to be completed within a month and a half.

Last week, a private firm from New Delhi had met the MCB Commissioner, Bathinda Mayor, senior Deputy Mayor Tarsem Goyal, Deputy Mayor Gurinderpal Kaur Mangat and members of the F&CC and explained the functioning and benefits of the pre-cast toilets.