NGOs, Market and Resident Welfare Associations in South Delhi will soon be able to take up the upkeep and maintenance of public toilets by submitting a security amount of just ₹20,000 compared to ₹1 lakh earlier. A proposal to this effect was passed in the SDMC’s standing committee on Monday.
While a policy to run toilets on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis had already been in effect since 2013, SDMC officials said that there was not enough interest shown by such parties. NGOs are willing to take up the maintenance as per the terms and conditions of the scheme but have been hesitant with regard to the condition of depositing the high rate of bank guarantee stipulated.
Under the scheme, the NGO will be responsible for carrying out day-to-day maintenance and bear all related costs. They are allowed to charge a nominal usage fee as well but the rights to display advertisements or hoarding will be with the SDMC only.
According to the new terms of the proposal, the civic body has said that the group will have to be registered at least for a period of one year. While the deposit amount has been reduced, financials of the NGOs would have to be reviewed in order to ensure their viability. There had to be some check to make sure the burden of unpaid electricity and water charges doesn’t fall on the SDMC, chairperson Bhupendra Gupta said.
