Public toilets in Coimbatore Corporation need attention

The Corporation plans to call for fresh tenders for operation and maintenance in Coimbatore

The Coimbatore Corporation plans to soon call for zone-wise fresh tenders to operate and maintain public toilets in the city.

With residents expressing concern over poor maintenance of the toilets, the issue is likely to come up in the next council meeting.

S. Gunasekaran, an auto driver, says auto drivers have no option but to use the public toilets. The maintenance declined after the pandemic, and the situation is almost the same across the city. In a few places, the toilets are locked permanently, he says.

P. Mahalakshmi, a native of Kinathukadavu who travels to the city frequently to buy flowers from the market, said the public toilets close to the Gandhipuram bus stand have no maintenance. In some toilets, the doors do not even have proper latches or there are no buckets. Thus, these toilets are unhygienic, she says.

According to data available with the Corporation, there are 376 public toilets in the five zones of the city, including 29 pay-and-use toilets. In the Swacch Survekshan Survey 2022, the Corporation ranked 42 out of 45 cities that have a population of more than 10 lakhs, in the country. The city recorded poor performance in the cleanliness of public toilets.

Corporation Commissioner M. Prathap said the tenders for the operation and maintenance of most of the public toilets ended in June. After that, the civic body sought the approval of the council to extend it temporarily. Approval will be sought in the next council meeting to call for fresh tenders. The civic body received 255 complaints through the ‘My Toilet’ app, and they were resolved, he said.

The Commissioner added that strict action will be taken against the contractors if repeated complaints are received. Two such contracts were cancelled recently, he said.