e-toilets lying unused in Dharamsala Smart City

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, February 21

Innovative solutions such as e-toilets and a water ATM, installed in Smart City Dharamsala, have failed to provide the desired results.

Two e-toilets, installed by the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation (MC) in Gandhi Park near the local bus stand, have been lying unused for the past three years. Sources say the e-toilets were installed near Martyrs Park in 2015. Later, these were shifted near the bus stand.

Duty of civic body

It is the duty of the Municipal Corporation to maintain the e-toilets, which were built using public funds. Davinder Jaggi, Ex-Mayor, Dharamsala MC

At the new location, no permanent power connection was provided for the toilets, due to which these had been lying unused.

Karam Singh, a vendor operating from near Gandhi Park, says that after the installation of the e-toilets, a woman got trapped in it. “We had to take her out by opening the door with iron rods. Since then, the toilets have been lying locked,” he said.

Mukesh Sharma, a resident of Dharamsala, says it is unfortunate that the Municipal Corporation has spent lakhs of rupees on the e-toilets but has not been able to make them functional. There is no public toilet facility near the bus stand, where many people come daily. The e-toilets were installed as an innovative solution for ensuring hygienic conditions. However, the investment has gone waste and nobody is bothered about maintaining these, he adds.

Municipal Commissioner Pradeep Thakur was not available for comments. Former Mayor Davinder Jaggi, during whose tenure these toilets were installed, says it is the duty of the corporation to maintain the facilities, which were built using public funds.

Besides the e-toilets, the IPH Department had installed a water ATM in the Dari area of Dharamsala, under the previous Congress government. The water ATM has been lying closed for the past four years. Officials of the IPH Department say that the water ATM was installed as an experiment. However, not many people came forward to use it, hence it has become redundant.