Karnal MC ropes in pvt firm for upkeep of public toilets

Parveen Arora

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Karnal, February 3

To ensure better cleanliness, maintenance and monitoring of toilet complexes, the Karnal Municipal Corporation (KMC) has hired a private agency to maintain around 60 toilets of the city and three Sherorooms-cum-nursing rooms.

Were either closed or unclean

• There are around 100 public and community toilets in the city, of which around 40 are already given to a private company
• However, majority of the remaining toilets are either lying closed or in unhygienic conditions
• The Karnal Municipal Corporation has now handed over the remaining 60 toilets to Aash foundation, a private company, recently

Developing app to monitor cleanliness

The agency has made all toilets functional and is ensuring cleanliness. An app is being developed through Smart City project to monitor the cleanliness of these toilets. — Dheeraj Kumar, KMC Deputy municipal commissioner

The agency will ensure the cleaning and facility for the residents between 8 am and 8 pm daily. The facility is free for residents. If the agency is not found up to the mark, penalty will be imposed.

There are around 100 public and community toilets in the city, of which around 40 are already given to a private company, while majority of the remaining toilets are either lying closed or in unhygienic conditions, making those impossible to use. The KMC has now handed over the remaining 60 toilets to Aash foundation, a private company, recently.

“The agency has started the work and has made all toilets functional along with ensuring cleanliness,” said KMC Deputy Municipal Commissioner Dheeraj Kumar. An app is being developed through Smart City project to monitor the cleanliness of these toilets, he said.

With an aim to provide several facilities to women under one roof, Haryana’s first women facilitation centre Sheroroom was constructed at the cost of around Rs 8 lakh on the railway road and it was inaugurated by former Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain on November 13, 2017. After this, two more Sherorooms were constructed with facilities for women like place for lactating women to feed their children, a waiting room, napkin dispenser and disposers, sockets for charging mobile phones, magazine facility free of cost under one roof between 8 am and 8 pm, but these were lying non-functional for the past over three years.

“We have made these Sherorooms functional to facilitate women. The agency will ensure they are cleaned properly. One woman attendant has been deployed at every Sheroroom,” said the DMC.

Besides facilitating residents, the functional and clean toilets will help the KMC in improving the Swachh Survekshan ranking, the DMC claimed. Residents said the authorities must ensure cleanliness of toilets. “We are happy that the KMC has made the toilets and Sherorooms functional, but the hygiene and cleanliness should be maintained,” said Dr Amanpreet, a local resident.