Ensure regular upkeep of public toilets in Sonepat: MC Chief

Mukesh Tandon

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Panipat, January 12

After receiving a setback by slipping 121 points in Swachh Survekshan-2023, the Sonepat MC Commissioner, Vishram Kumar Meena, has ordered proper maintenance of public toilets. Elected councillors and the Mayor have blamed MC officials for the poor ranking of the city.

Sonepat has secured the 260th rank in the country and secured 33 per cent for cleanliness of public toilets. As per sources, there are around 150 public and deluxe toilets in the city and only eight e-toilets.

“Almost all public toilets are lying defunct due to the lethargic attitude of MC officials. Many of them have no doors, no cleanliness, some are lying locked, there is no water facility and no lighting in the toilets,” said Manjeet Gahlawat, Deputy Mayor. The councillors had raised the issue of cleanliness several times, but to no avail, he claimed.

Mayor Nikhil Madaan also alleged that sanitation and cleanliness tenders, which had been allotted around a year ago, were responsible for the poor ranking. The House had raised questions over the tenders several times, and had mentioned anomalies in the tenders to the headquarters, but to no avail, he said.

The MC was spending around Rs 5 crore a month on sanitation and cleanliness in the city, but the result was shameful, he stated.

The MC Commissioner has also directed all JEs to prepare a detailed data of all public toilets with specific parameters in their wards. He also directed the SDOs to check the feasibility of construction of minimum one aspirational toilet block in the major public areas of the city.

“Efforts would be made to improve the ranking next year as we have started working upon it,” he said, adding that drain No. 6 flowing in the city would be covered within three months and several projects to beautify the city were in the pipeline.