GHMC flushes crores of tax money down toilets that don't exist

HYDERABAD: The cash-strapped GHMC appears to be "flushing it down" by ‘spending’ crores of taxpayers' money on maintaining non-existent toilets.

Since 2014, the civic body has spent Rs. 56 crore to maintain toilets which are either non-existent or dysfunctional, with a staggering Rs. 25.25 crore spent in the last two years alone.

A ground report by Deccan Chronicle revealed that around 400 public toilets were functional, and not 2,260, or 5,299 seats, as claimed by the GHMC.

Sulabh International, a non-profit organisation, manages 250 of the 400 functional toilets, the remaining  are given out on BOT (build, operate and transfer) bases. There are 97 prefabricated toilets, a few 'Loo Cafes' largely in HiTec City, and over 35 She Toilets. Aside from these, the GHMC recently launched mobile toilets, some of which have been converted into shops.

In 2021, the civic body claimed to have installed around 2,260 new temporary public toilets on the sidewalks. These were not opened for public use and were used for erecting banners and flexis. Many of them were damaged and in any case did not have water and sewerage hookups. People have been spotted urinating around the locked toilets.

When asked how the GHMC was paying maintenance agencies despite the toilets being either non-existent or dysfunctional, civic officials tried to wash their hands off the issue by claiming the subjects were handled at the zonal and circle levels.

Authorities stated that the GHMC signed a contract with private firms to repair toilets and paid them Rs. 25.52 crore. They revealed that the GHMC's expenditure on public toilet upkeep and other charges from 2014 was Rs. 56.56 crore.

Further, the civic body stated that in January 2019 that around 7,800 public toilet seats had been installed at 3,500 locations, with a target of 10,000 set by the state government. It also claimed that Hyderabad had the highest number of public toilets of any Indian city.

Although the target of 10,000 seats was supposed to be met by January of last year, GHMC officials said there was a significant delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Officials informed the GHMC that the remaining 2,200 toilet seats will be installed soon and that tenders for the work had been floated.

When asked about ensuring the upkeep of public toilets, officials stated that if any lapses were discovered the agencies were issued notices. "Action was taken against various agencies due to maintenance flaws and failure to perform in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement," an official said.

According to the conditions of the agreement, penalties were levied for inappropriate toilet cleaning. Monthly bills were deducted until the faulty maintenance was remedied. "Payments for non-functioning toilets were not made to the contractor," an official claimed.