The toilets have been constructed to make Noida an Open Defecation-Free city and there is a plan to construct a few more toilets.
Noida: As part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, 84 free public toilets have been constructed under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) model in different areas of Noida and are being maintained by selling space in hoardings that can be seen near the toilets. As many as 19 old toilets have also been renovated and most of the toilets were inaugurated on 2 October last year. There is a plan to construct a few more toilets.
The newly constructed toilets are about 1-2 km from each other and are near market areas and Metro stations. The areas where toilets were to be constructed were decided after a survey conducted by NGOs. The toilets have been constructed to make Noida an Open Defecation Free (ODF) city, which is the main aim of the authorities. Areas where these toilets have been constructed include GIP Mall, Sector 18, Sector-72 crossing, Sector-51, Botanical Garden Metro station, City Centre Mall, near Atta Market, Golf Course Road, Expressway Sector-150, among many other places.
Shubham Mudgal, technical manager at Noida Authority Office, told The Sunday Guardian, “Merely the construction area of each toilet costs Rs 10 lakh; the actual toilet construction costs more.”
Explaining the revenue process, Mudgal said that advertising agencies working under contractors appointed by the Noida Authority, had taken out a plan and conducted different surveys to garner revenue, as the public toilets are free for public use, and tenders have been given to private contractors for maintenance.
“Only when the advertising space in hoardings sell can we operate the toilets in a better manner. There are a lot of expenses. First, we spend lakhs for construction of the toilets; then we hire two guards, who work for eight hours each, and a supervisor for each toilet. We also have to have a sweeper in every toilet. So, we also need money to take care of these toilets,” Mudgal added.
On the basis of their analysis, advertising agencies decided that “at least one particular area near the toilets should be devoted to advertisements to garner revenue. The hoardings on top of the toilets are included in the advertising plan”.
Three advertisement companies—Chinar Implex, Pioneer Publicity and Vani Advertising—have been entrusted with the work to sell space in the hoardings.
Mudgal said: “Areas where maximum open defecation took place were chosen for toilet construction.”
Sanjay, who maintains one of the toilets near Botanical Garden and works under a private contractor which has undertaken work to maintain the toilets, told The Sunday Guardian: “Most of the toilets were constructed six months ago under the Swachh Bharat Mission; some were constructed some 2-4 months back. The work of maintenance of the toilets has been given to different contractors.”
The 84 toilets were divided into four segments, each segment containing 21 toilets, and these were given to three private contractors.
Mudgal said: “These private contractors are the agencies who we gave our tenders to. Whoever gave us the best rate, we gave the maintenance project to them.”
Sanjay said that the public is becoming aware of the toilets and a lot of people have been using the public washrooms. “Our work is to clean and maintain the washrooms,” he added.
The toilets are divided into sections for men and women. A few public toilets also have facilities for the differently-abled.
A maintenance person near a public toilet at Sector-37 said: “The contractors hire people for maintenance of the toilets. One contractor takes care of all the toilets in one particular area.”
The public has an option to give a feedback after using the washrooms. A feedback machine has been established inside the constructed space for reviews.
A user of one of the washrooms said: “It is a really good initiative. The best part is that now even women have easy access to washrooms and don’t have to run to malls to use the washrooms there.”
A man, who came to use the public toilet near Botanical Garden, said, “The initiative is good, I hope the maintenance keeps happening on time. So many people travel to and from this area; so, I think it is a great initiative.”