BMC to invite citizens' suggestions on location of proposed public urinals

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will invite suggestions as well as objections from residents of localities where the civic body proposes to construct public urinals. The decision comes in the wake of resistance from some areas after the civic administration came out with a plan to construct pay-and-use urinals in slums and on the main roads in the city, mainly because of the 'Not In My Backyard' approach of the residents.

BMC will soon upload the list of the proposed locations of the public toilets in the slums and main roads on its site, after which the public will get a month's time to send in their responses. The new initiative, the civic body believes, will help it take landlords and residents into confidence and avoid running into protests during the implementation stage.

At present, apart from inviting suggestions and objections, BMC will have to seek formal permission or No Objection Certificate from the land owner in case the public toilet is required in a particular area. Assistant Commissioners of each of the 24 civic wards will announce the list of spots for proposed public toilets.

"Considering the response, we will be able to build a consensus. The decisions will be taken based on majority view. Presently we are unable to build the toilets even if they are required due to objections – be it even from a single person. The entire project is stalled and people don't get their rightful sanitation facility. With new policy, things will fall in place," said a senior civic official.

Another interesting feature of the new policy is that the toilets to be built should be preferably on the main roads and if not possible will be closer to the roads. "Presently we use only signage at a few places indicating the existence of toilet facility, but now we will have to write it in clear words so that people can see it and even senior citizens who don't understand symbols will be able to spot the toilets. Also the colour and fonts of the letters used for writing will be bold and bright so that it is visible and readable even from far," said an officer.

For women, right to pee at a cost of Re.1

Supriya Sonar, the convenor of Right to Pee movement, has expressed her anguish against the civic administration as the BMC has decided to collect Re1 as charges for using urinals. "It's ridiculous and undemocratic to charge women for using urinals," said Sonar after a meeting with Prakash Patil, Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the BMC, last week.

BMC has announced that it would charge Re1 for using urinals at municipal comfort stations. "We have been fighting for our right to free, safe and clean public toilets for the last three years," Sonar pointed out, adding "Last year, we had a series of meetings with the municipal commissioner and other officers and it was agreed by the civic corporation that women will have free access to the urinal facilities as the men have."

"We were shocked to hear that BMC has unilaterally decided to charge for urinals and even women folks are not spared," she said adding the DMC is now asking them to provide evidence on the earlier assurance.

"We had several meetings, but minutes of such meetings are not shared. However, we do have press clippings. Charging creates a vicious circle. Contractors charge any amount. And working women like vegetable vendors or fisher-women hardly earn ?50 per day. Why should they spend 20% of their earning on urinals? It is atrocious," said Mumtaz Shaikh, president of Mahila Federation representing 300 women organisations.

Deepa Pawar of VACHA also slammed the 'indifference' on part of the bureaucracy towards the women's basic rights.