Namma toilets yet to be put into use
The hi-tech Namma toilets, launched with fanfare by the Coimbatore corporation
By : vidyashree dharmaraj
Update: 2014-11-20 07:39 GMT
Coimbatore: The hi-tech Namma toilets, launched with fanfare by the Coimbatore corporation, remains a non-starter as the civic body which installed the modern ceramic closet has failed to provide a flush facility.
Most of the 20 new toilets placed in busy locations in the city, including Town bus stand, Poosaripalayam, V.O.C. park, Masakalipalayam, are not functional and remain just as a roadside decorative piece.
In all, 268 green toilets were earmarked for installation in Coimbatore corporation, when the first batch of 20 solar-powered, easy-to-clean Namma toilets were out, the corporation planned to place them in areas close to slums to prevent slum-dwellers from defecating in the open.
According to official sources, work is in progress to connect the drain underneath each of the toilet to the main drain. This will be completed in month. However, as the toilets are not usable now, open defecation continues unabated in the city. The public toilets in the most crowded bus stands of the city also raise a stink with complaints of contractors fleecing the public pouring in.
"If Re1 is insufficient for the effective maintenance of toilets, then the contractors can charge Rs 2 and provide the receipt for the same just as it is done in the court complex. It would be unfair to display Re1 and demand Rs 3 from the public as done in the Singanallur, Gandhipuram and Ukkadam bus stands. Though the tender clearly states that a receipt should be provided none of the contractors give a receipt," said RTI activist A. Manoj.