Mumbai: After one-year delay, BMC builds only 20 per cent community loos

A public toilet in Thakur Village, Kandivli east. File pic

After clearing proposals worth Rs 422 in January 2019 for 22,774 toilets across the city, with a deadline of 12 months, the BMC has built merely 20 per cent of them. The project's aim was to bring down the user-toilet ratio in community toilets. Now the corporation also wants to build an additional 108 public toilets to cater to the needs of the floating public.

Under the Slum Sanitation Plan, the BMC was supposed to build 16,703 toilets on existing 14,173 toilet seats and an additional 6,071 toilets on new locations. After two years, the BMC has built only 4,596 toilets. "Our target is to build 20,301 toilets before December 31, 2021. While 4,596 seats are completed, 15,705 are under construction," said civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal.

"Construction is delayed as we have to provide alternatives and cannot demolish all toilets simultaneously. Even though we identified new locations, people opposed them as no one wants a toilet in their backyard," said a BMC official. A provision of Rs 323 crore has been proposed for 2021-22.

Forgotten proposal
During last year's budget, the then civic chief Pravin Pardeshi had proposed throwing open washrooms in all civic offices to women free of charge. Amid COVID-19, the plan remained on paper and no step has been taken to implement is now.

15,705
No. of toilets currently under construction