PMC to handover 4 public toilets to contractor for refurbishment

The revenue raised from the four prime hoardings will be utilised by the contractor for the purpose of refurbishing the said four public toilets into aspirational toilets and maintaining them for the next 10 years

While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has failed to maintain public toilets in the city on the one hand, the civic body has now decided to handover four public toilets to a contractor for the purpose of refurbishing them into aspirational toilets. What’s more, the PMC has decided to give advertisement rights to four major hoardings in the city to the same contractor for the purpose of generating the revenue needed for this task. The revenue raised from the four prime hoardings will be utilised by the contractor for the purpose of refurbishing the said four public toilets into aspirational toilets and maintaining them for the next 10 years.

The tender also mentions the locations at which the contractor can erect hoardings and earn revenue from the same. (RAVINDRA JOSHI/ HT PHOTO)

Sandeep Kadam, head of the solid waste management department, said, “The PMC’s main objective is to ensure the provision of clean, hygienic and safe sanitation facilities for all in the city by appointing a contractor to operate and maintain four public toilets on a daily basis. It is a pilot project in the city. Based on the success of this project, it will be implemented in other parts of the city.”

“The intention of providing advertisement rights at four prime locations is to help the contractor generate revenue from the hoardings which he must utilise for refurbishing the existing public toilets into aspirational toilets and maintaining them for the next 10 years. A single contractor will be appointed for all four public toilets. The work will consist of daily cleaning and upkeep of the public toilets by appointing a dedicated staff and ensuring that the public toilets are always in functional condition,” Kadam said.

The PMC solid waste management department has already floated a tender, and also identified the four public toilets to be refurbished which are located at Old Airport Road, Vishrantwadi Chowk, Chandan Nagar, and Kharadi Gaon. The tender also mentions the locations at which the contractor can erect hoardings and earn revenue from the same.

According to the PMC solid waste management department, the contractor will have to construct ATMs and mobile charging points at all the toilet blocks, among others. The contractor will have to arrange for all the necessary tools, plant and machinery for the execution of the work, and operation and maintenance of the four toilets for the next 10 years.

The PMC has constructed over 1,288 public- and community- toilets in the city, which range from two-seater toilets/urinals to eight-seater ones at some places. These are currently maintained by the PMC through its Mukadams and other staff. However, due to lack of dedicated staff to maintain these toilets, many of them are in deplorable conditions which is why the PMC has taken the abovementioned initiative.