To End 'Public Urination' Menace, Bengaluru Allocates Rs 80 Cr Towards Building Toilets

The Bengaluru Municipal Corporation (BBMP) will initiate construction of public toilets in the city in an attempt to curb the practice of urinating in public.

According to The Indian Express, several complaints have been raised by different sections of the society on the limited availability of toilets in the vicinity and thus people resorting to urinating on the footpath. Therefore, under the Shubhra Bengaluru Scheme, a sufficient number of toilets will be constructed and can be geolocated with the help of google maps.

"Funds are not an issue, the government is ready to allocate ₹100-120 crore, out of which ₹80 crore will be used only for building the toilets under Shubhra Bengaluru Scheme," said D Randeep, BBMP Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management).

Speaking on locating the nearest toilet, he said, all one has to do is type 'SBM toilets' and they will get directions to the nearest one. Additionally, signboards flagging directions and distance to reach the closest facility will also be put up. He further added that keeping the areas around lakes, parks and playgrounds clean and tidy is the primary focus and hence toilets would be built around these areas.

"Several citizens have complained that they were unable to walk peacefully on the footpath due to the urine spots on the footpath and also due to the broken footpath in the several areas," said the officer.

Reports have pointed out that the initiative will be a public-driven step and will involve the participation of the residents in identifying the spots where the facility is needed and to inform BBMP through the portal (ichangemycity.com).

The publication also reported that unused BMTC buses would also be converted into mobile toilets in certain localities to ensure each area has multiple toilets catering to both men and women.

On November 30, The Karnataka High Court directed BBMP to conduct a study to know how many public toilets are required in the city. The direction had been issued after a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) which claimed that there were not enough public toilets in Bengaluru and the existing ones were also not properly maintained.

The petitioner also highlighted that as per the guidelines of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Bengaluru required 1,100 public toilets and a toilet complex set up every 7 km. However, as per the information available on the BBMP website, Bengaluru has only 479 toilets constructed between 1965 and 2014.

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