Chennai: Toilets opened in 17 suburban stations

Chennai: In what comes as a major relief for lakhs of passengers commuting through the suburban section, lavatory facilities are up and running in 17 busy suburban stations in Chennai division starting from Tuesday, thanks to the Madras high court order on February 11 directing the Southern Railway to build toilets in a month’s time.

The toilets set up between Chennai beach and Tambaram Sanatorium stations have been completed one week prior to the high court direction. This move could prevent passengers from using open spaces for nature’s call – a common scene near suburban stations on a daily basis, officials and regular passengers said.
“It was a combined work collaborating the mechanical, engineering department of Chennai division with the help of station masters and contract workers in railways who have worked 24/7 to make sure that facilities are in place as soon as possible,” said R. Vijayaraghavan, sectional commercial inspector, Beach – Tambaram section. “Now it depends on how the passengers maintain these toilets,” he added.

“The fate of these toilets should not be like those of the ones between Chennai central and Tiruvallur where a section of anti-social elements removed the taps, plastic valves, buckets and mugs. The station walls should be raised,” said a senior commercial manager in Southern Railways to Deccan Chronicle.

Of all the toilets that opened on Tuesday, eight of them from Beach and Saidapet are being currently maintained and operated by private contractors on a six-month period and the railways maintain the rest nine.