The Greater Chennai Corporation will build new public toilets in all the 200 wards, with uniform design, facade, colour and logo under Singara Chennai 2.0. The civic body has started collecting information about sites suitable for the construction of toilets near commercial areas, bus stops, bus terminus, railway stations, government offices, hospitals and parks.
According to one estimate, the city requires public toilets at 1,000 locations. But finding site for the facility remains a challenge.
At present, the Corporation maintains toilets at 832 locations. But most of them are in interior areas, near congested low-income neighbourhoods. Many existing toilets have not been designed properly. So, the new toilets will be constructed with innovative architecture with inputs from the young architects and civil engineers.
At a meeting on Thursday, the civic officials were asked to finalise the design of the toilets with a logo by Saturday.
According to estimates, each of the 200 wards require at least five new toilets at locations near bus stops and other public transport infrastructure. The civic body is planning to construct toilets near the pavements after getting no objection certificates from institutions in the vicinity.
The former Corporation floor leader V. Sukumar Babu said the civic body should post one worker at every toilet for proper maintenance.
Residents’ plea
Geetha Ganesh, Secretary of AGS Colony RWA Velachery West, said AGS Colony was the last bus stop in Ward 176 (old ward 177 and 178) and the residents have been requesting for a public toilet inside the park at AGS Fourth Cross Street with another entrance near AGS Colony Fourth Main Road adjacent to the bus stop.
“The bus crew and the general public relieve themselves in the open spaces. Then residents had to request nearby flat residents to allow only the MTC staff to use their common toilet. But that was a problem because of safety and hygiene issues. If GCC constructs a proper toilet inside the park, it will give great relief to MTC staff as well as the residents,” said Ms. Ganesh.
