Almost two years after the state's public works department (PWD) allowed the BMC to construct toilets along the busy Western and Eastern Express Highways, the plan is far from taking off.
What are the proposed locations of the toilets?
Out of the total toilets to be constructed along the arterial roads, six are proposed to be built along Western Express Highway (WEH), which passes through suburbs between Bandra and Dahisar.
The remaining ones are planned to be constructed along the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) connecting Chembur to Mulund.
What is the hindrance?
The corporation has only managed to draw lottery to appoint agencies. The corporation has received response from agencies in connection with tenders for seven toilets. However, in four toilets (three in K-East ward covering Andheri and one in H-East Bandra), it is mulling to offer job to women's help groups.
"We have been reminding the BMC time and again about the issue. Despite a major hurdle being crossed, the work has been going on slowly. We are going to take up the issue seriously now on," reacted Supriya Sonar, a member attached to the Right to Pee campaign on the eve of International Toilet Day.
Why is progress happening at a snail's pace?
Additional municipal commissioner Vikas Kharage, who heads the solid waste management department, remained unavailable for comment. However, a senior civic official from the department, on condition of anonymity, said that the delay has been caused largely due to land and utility related issues.
"Given the land belongs to a non-BMC governing agency, we required procuring no objection certificates for it. Plus, there is an issue of utility cables passing beneath or along the roads. We could not proceed further, until these issues were resolved. Hence, the delay. But our ward offices will soon start construction of the toilets," an officer concerned assured.
BMC's reaction
The officer though added the BMC has already made available one toilet along Western Express highway near Dindoshi Flyover. "A toilet did exist here. But after the PWD approval, this one was revamped," he informed.
An advertisement seeking appointment of women's help groups will be issued in a week or two, civic officials said. The agencies are supposed to construct toilets on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis, for 30 years and seek nominal charges for using the facilities.
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