The Hindu : Front Page : Public toilets to offer advertisement space

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Saturday, Mar 29, 2008
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Public toilets to offer advertisement space

J. Malarvizhi

CHENNAI: Public conveniences might shortly turn profitable for the Chennai Corporation. The local body on Friday invited bids for construction of toilets that allow the contractor to use the outer walls for advertising.

Following its decision to fine offences that affect public hygiene from June 1 this year, the Chennai Corporation invited bids for the demolition and construction of 34 toilets in the Ayanavaram and Adyar Zones and construction of 16 urinals in the Adyar Zone.

The construction of 100 urinals at locations, which are currently being used by the public as open-air toilets, was one of the proposals in the local body’s 2008-09 budget. Open-air defecation was among the offences to be fined from the initially proposed date of April 1, 2008. The Corporation postponed the date of enforcement by two months to enable construction of toilets and improve awareness of actions that can attract fines.

The civic body has called for bids to be submitted by April 25, 2008 in a national competitive bidding process. The bids have been invited for design-build-operate-transfer (DBOT) of the structures, including demolition for reconstruction of some toilets, in three separate packages of 20 toilets in the Ayanavaram Zone and 14 toilets and 16 urinals in the Adyar zone.

The contractor who takes up the projects would operate the toilets for a specified period and recoup the cost through maintenance charges and advertisement revenue.

Officials said bids had been invited for construction of new bus stops in the city under a similar model of DBOT.

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