New agency in place, Panchkula toilets still dirty
It’s been a month and a half since a new agency took over the maintenance of public toilets in the city, but their condition ramains unchanged — dirty and unclean.
‘Negligent attitude of MC to blame’
Toilets in most areas in the city are still in a bad condition. It defeats the very idea of appointing a new agency for the maintenance of public toilets. Taxpayers’ money goes down the drain due to the negligent attitude of the Municipal Corporation. — Rakesh Agarwal, Panchkula Vikas Manch
The local Municipal Corporation had handed over the work of maintenance of public toilets to the Hansi Luv Kush Cooperative Society on January 1 after snapping ties with the Sulabh agency over complaints of unhygienic condition of public toilets.
Broken toilet seats, doors and washbasin, poor ventilation, bad smell, lack of soap/sanitiser and soggy floors are some of the shortcomings witnessed by this correspondent at most public toilets across market areas.
Toilets in Sector 4, 8, 11, Abheypur and at Amartex Chowk were found unhygienic. Of all public toilets visited by this correspondent, only the Sector 7 market public toilet was found “usable”.
The poor condition of public toilets is a perennial issue.
Though Panchkula had been ranked Open Defecation Free-Plus-Plus for the fourth time in a row, people can still be found defecating in the open due to lack of hygiene and poor maintenance in public toilets.
Similar is the condition of mobile toilets.
“I never use the nearby public toilet. I had entered it twice, the smell was nauseous. I never tried since then,” said Suresh, who works at a shop in the Sector 8 market.
Rakesh Agarwal of the Panchkula Vikas Manch said, “Toilets in most areas in the city are still in a bad condition. It defeats the very idea of appointing a new agency for the maintenance of public toilets. Taxpayers’ money goes down the drain due to the negligent attitude of the Municipal Corporation.”
Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said they were making sure public toilets across the city were maintained regularly.
“As far as their repair is concerned, the process for the allotment of tenders is underway. It will be done soon,” he said.
