Public toilets in neglect, MCG mulls re-tendering maintenance contract

Sanjay Yadav

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Gurugram, April 9

The public toilets in Gurugram are proving to be a massive disappointment despite an expense of over Rs 10 lakh every month on their cleaning and maintenance.

The Municipal Corporation (MC) and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) have made efforts to provide the locations of public and community toilets on mobile apps and portals, but the toilets remain unclean. The condition of these toilets is so bad that people avoid using them, and even if some are clean, they can’t be locked from inside due to missing or broken bolts.

The MC has built 110 toilets in four zones of the city for the convenience of the public, with 102 being public and eight being community toilets. Separate arrangements have been made for women and disabled people, but due to the lack of cleanliness and maintenance, people use them with their noses covered. Foul odour emanates from the toilets near the market areas, making people rush past them.

The MC officials acknowledge that the public toilets are not clean, and they plan to tender a fresh contract for the maintenance and operation of all the toilets. At present, the MC has given the contract to seven agencies, and it is paying Rs 8,000 to 10,000 per toilet, but the condition of the toilets is worsening.

A city resident, Ravi Singh, said the toilet near Kadipur on Pataudi Road is full of filth and unusable. The toilets near the community centre in Kadipur and at the cremation ground of Wazirabad village are also unfit for use, according to Neeraj Chaudhary and Hari Om. The toilets in Sector 52, the women’s toilets in Sadar Bazar and the toilets in Sector 15 Part 2 remain locked most of the time, they added.

Naresh Kumar, MC Joint Commissioner, Swachh Bharat Mission, said, “Cleanliness system in toilets will be improved soon, and a plan is being made to re-tender the operations and maintenance of all toilets. In addition, the locations of all the toilets can be viewed on the GMDA’s Gurugram App and the online portal of the MC.”