Public toilets remain inaccessible in Muktsar

Muktsar, November 24

A majority of the public toilets in the town are lying shut for two months. The public is forced to defecate in the open. Travel on any road in the town, and one would either find the door of the public toilet locked or the facility out of order.

Contract expired

We have 12 public toilets in the town. A majority of these are lying closed because the cleanliness contract has expired. — Rajnish Kumar, EO, Municipal council

Ved Parkash, a shopkeeper, said, “The public toilet located just opposite the Municipal Council office is lying closed for the past three months. A number of people defecate in the open here. Some women even come to our shop to use the toilet. The civic body authorities have, however, turned a blind eye towards the issue.”

Similarly, Deepak Kumar, a shopkeeper on Railway Road, said, “A public toilet has been built outside the railway station, but it always remains closed.” The situation is almost similar on Kotkapura Road.

Meanwhile, during a random check of public toilets, it was found that most of these were in need of repairs. “Thieves are stealing taps from the toilets. There is not to keep a check on it,” said Sunil Chhabra, a local resident.

Rajnish Kumar, Executive Officer, Municipal Council, Muktsar, said, “We had floated tenders to maintain and run the public toilets in the town, but no one showed interest. Now, tenders have again been floated for the purpose.”