Of the city’s first five public e-toilets built now, four are ready for public use.
Built by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) for Mangaluru City Corporation, two each are in Lalbagh and Kadri Park and another one is near the Government Wenlock Hospital in Hampankatta.
The public sector oil company has built them under its corporate social responsibility, a corporation official told The Hindu .
They said that the toilet near the hospital cannot be commissioned immediately due to an issue pertaining to linking it to the sewage network. A portion of the concrete road would have to be cut for taking up this work.
The other four toilets have been provided with water, electricity facility and linked to the sewage network.
M. Vasanta Rao, Chief Regional Manager, HPCL, said that the company spent ₹ 30 lakh on them at ₹ 6 lakh each. He said that the toilets would be commissioned this month, if possible next week. A user could enter the toilet by inserting ₹ 1 coin and also coins of other denomination.
The corporation official said that the unmanned toilet had automatic flushing and sanitising facility. When a user entered it, lights and the exhaust fan will switch on automatically and go off once the user leaves the toilet. Hand wash facility will also be available.
Mr. Rao said that the company would hand them over to the civic body after they are commissioned. They would have to be maintained by the corporation.
He said that the company would continue to associate with the civic body this year too. It could be building more public toilets or any other project as suggested by the civic body.
Mangaluru selected under smart city mission of the Union government hitherto lacked e-toilets.
