GHMC has embarked upon construction of a total of 7,200 public toilets in the city, far exceeding the earlier target of 3,000 toilets.
Of these, construction of a total of 1,536 toilets has already been completed, while work is on at a brisk pace for 4,271 more. Construction is under process for the remaining 1,393 toilets, a statement from GHMC informed.
These will be part of over 11,000 public toilets the department of MA&UD aims to construct, of which 8,000 are expected to be ready by August 15 (Independence Day). Half of these toilets will be for women.
Of the total, 3,850 toilets are under way across the urban local bodies other than GHMC.
Instead of calling for tenders, the government has authorised the district collectors to empanel agencies to take up construction of toilets at Standard Schedule of Rates as determined by a committee of engineers with members drawn from Roads & Buildings, Panchayat Raj, and the urban local body concerned.
A pet project of MA&UD Minister K.T. Rama Rao, this is claimed as the largest drive in public toilets anywhere in the country, and Hyderabad will be by far the only city with more than 10,000 toilets inclusive of the latest addition, officials informed.
Cost of each toilet varied between ₹60,000 and ₹1.5 lakh depending on design. The decision with regard to the design has been delegated to district-level authorities, as per the GO.
