TOILET MEETS ITS WATERLOO

TOILET MEETS ITS WATERLOO
A public toilet constructed at a cost of Rs 7.5 lakh three years ago is locked since its construction
B K LAKSHMIKANTHA


Armchair planning by bureaucrats could prove disastrous. Sample this: A public toilet constructed three years ago now remains locked for want of users!
At a time when several prime areas are bereft of public toilets, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials chose to construct a toilet where public movement is pathetically low. And now, not just the time and money spent on the construction has gone waste, it has become a home for rodents and cockroaches.
The BBMP had constructed the Nirmala Bangalore Toilet near government primary and high school in the Sunkenahalli at Hanumantha Nagar three years ago at a cost of Rs 7.5 lakh. It was done after conducting a survey of the ward and the location was decided depending on the need and the floating population of the area. The Karnataka State Land Army Corporation on behalf of the Palike constructed the toilet and handed it over to the BBMP which called for tenders for collecting fees for maintenance, said a BBMP official.
NO USERS
As public movement on the Sunkenahalli road was very less, there were hardly any users. Also, the devotees who visit the temple at Ramanjaneya Gudda seldom use the toilet. Residents from the locality do not visit the toilet, said a resident in the locality.
“Usually, public toilets are constructed near bus stands where public can avail of the service easily. Or they should be near the slums where the residents will have no toilets in their houses and need public toilets. But this toilet is near neither a slum nor a bus stop,” said a BBMP contractor.
When the construction was over three years ago, the Palike handed over the maintenance contract to one Mallappa. Since there were no customers, the contractor locked the gates and handed the keys to the ward health officer.
After a few days, the ward inspector kept a person to look after the toilet and use the money for the maintenance of toilet and to earn for his expenditure. But after a few days, he too locked it and returned the keys to the officer, stating that no one used the toilet and he cannot sit idle without earning money, said the contractor.
He suggested that the toilet should be handed over to the government school instead of being locked for years. Most of the students go to attend nature’s call near the Ramanjaneya Gudda Park. If the toilet is given to the school, the students will use the toilet free of cost. The school authorities can be entrusted with the maintenance of the toilet, he added.
When contacted, DC (Health) K S Venkateshappa, said that this toilet and another at Kohinoor ground in Kempegowdanagar and a few others have no users. If the school authorities send a proposal to the BBMP on this regard, they may consider it and the students can use the toilet, he said.