The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) move to provide public sanitation for men, through urinal boxes, has come under fire from the opposite sex. The urinals, which have been placed on footpaths at some places “will obstruct walkers and make a mess” as well, thereby making it difficult to walk, charge many.
“If you look at any public toilet, men urinate all around it, and make that particular spot so dirty that we can’t even walk near it. It’s the same case near wine shops as well,” said Asmita Mukherjee, who works at a private company and uses public transport for her commute. She pointed out that footpaths are scarce in the city, and putting urinals right in between will inconvenience walkers in general as well.
Agreeing with her, Preethi Reddy, whose office is situated near Banjara Hills, said that she has to literally get down from the footpath while walking to avoid the urinals there. “The traffic on the Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills roads are very hectic, and if they place urinals there of all the things, how will we talk? Also, why doesn’t the GHMC place urinals for women too? Why only men?” she wondered aloud.
Both the women felt that over a period of time, the urinals which are placed in and around Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills, will be neglected, making the footpath perpetually dirty. “In fact, they are placed near bus stops. Just imagine how so many people will tolerate the kind of stench it will lead to. I wish the GHMC officials would have planned this or consulted women at least before taking this step,” said N. Neha, a resident of Secunderabad.
The women commuters were all for more and cleaner public conveniences but wanted other factors like sanitation issues also to be taken care of.
(Feel strongly about the lack of proper public conveniences and unclean toilets in the twin cities? Please send your complaints, suggestions and ideas to us. You can also send us photos of dirty or good public toilets. Please mail them to hyderabaddesk@thehindu.co.in, you can also tweet on @HydConnect with #GHMCloos or post them on fb page - our www.facebook.com/hydConnect)
