86 Nirmala toilets shut down for two days in City

86 Nirmala toilets shut down for two days in City
Vijay Times

AS many as 86 Nirmala toilets in the City will remain shut for two days from Tuesday, thanks to the apathy of the officials of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP).

The Bangalore Mahanagara Safai Karmachari Pourakarmika Shouchalaya Shuchigarara Sangha has called for the protest, which comes in the wake of the BMP failing to release the Rs 35 lakh it owes to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM).

It may be recalled that the BMP, in association with Infosys, had spent Rs 7 to 8 lakh on each Nirmala toilet. Of the total 108 toilets, 15 were closed long back as they lacked proper facilities. The civic body had awarded the contract for maintaining these toilets to the Integrated India private limited.

As per the contract, the company would have to pay the power and water charges of 86 Nirmala toilets in the City. However, it is the BMP which should have paid the power and water charges of these toilets from the time they were constructed till the time the contract was awarded. As the BMP had failed to do so, power and water connections to a majority of Nirmala toilets were withdrawn.

Talking to BVT, Venugopal, president of the Bangalore Mahanagara Safai Karmachari Pourakarmika Shouchalaya Shuchigarara Sangha, said that the BMP had not paid the water and electricity bills for a period of four months and this had resulted in power and water connections being withdrawn from Nirmala toilets.

Explaining about the sad state of affairs and the absence of basic facilities in certain toilets, he said, "Water is being supplied to most toilets through tankers.""A memorandum will be submitted to Health Minister R Ashok in this regard. If the BMP fails to pay the bills, the toilets will remain shut," Venugopal added.

Commenting on the issue, BJP leader in the BCC Council A H Basavraj said, "The negligence of the BMP authorities, who have failed to pay water and power bills, has led to the closure of toilets in the City. The BESCOM or BWSSB cannot be held responsible for the problem. It is a wake up call to the BMP Health Department." Explaining the reason behind toilets being shut down, he said that as per the tender notifications, the BMP had to clear the amount that was due to BESCOM and BWSSB. But the BMP had not cleared the arrears till date and this had resulted in this move.

Closing of toilets in places like Kalasipalya, Malleswaram, Majestic, Kormangala, and Madiwala, which are densely populated areas, would put the public to hardships.

When BMP Chief Health officer Dr Vijayalakshmi was contacted in this regard, she said that closing of toilets in the City would certainly pose health hazards and that action would have to be initiated in this regard. "It is not the responsibility of the BMP to pay the bills. The responsibility lies with the Integrated India company," she added.