MCD’s new loos to have coffee houses

Even as a large population of Delhi is denied access to the most basic kind of toilet, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to build fancy coffee house-cum-toilet complexes in major markets ahead of the Commonwealth Games. This, says the MCD, will change the public perception of public toilets.

Said an MCD official, "A person will be able to sit inside one of these toilets and have an ice-cream."

The complexes will have coffee shops, flower shops, fast-food joints and offices. The civic agency claims it has already been approached by various companies which have shown interest in the projects. The complexes will be `green' toilets and will adhere to `7-star' standards.

Said the MCD official: "We are going to float tenders for the project by next week. A lot of importance has been laid on design and maintenance of the toilet blocks and companies will have to create a prototype of the toilet complex before we finally award the work to one of them. Work on the project is likely to start by May and all the complexes will come up before the Games.'' The company which is awarded the contract will pay MCD a one-time fee of Rs 10 crore and Rs 20 lakh per month.

The civic agency has already identified the spots where the 250 toilet complexes will be built. The market areas which have been shortlisted include Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar Market, Gulmohar Park, M-Block market, GK-I, PVR Saket, Ambavata Complex, Mehrauli, Green Park Market, Chirag Delhi, Subzi Mandi, Kotla Mubarakpur, Nehru Enclave, Andrews Ganj, Paschim Vihar, Janakpuri, Taj Enclave Road, Paharganj, R K Puram, South Extension part-I, Ganesh Naga, and Delhi University where six toilet complexes will be built.

The toilets will have special facilities for women, senior citizens, and the physically disabled. Said an MCD official, "The idea is to give the responsibility of running the toilet complexes to a company with an established brand image. That way, the company will ensure cleanliness of the toilet blocks, so that it can make money from the venture while ensuring its reputation is not affected. People will only walk in to have coffee here if there is no foul odour. For revenue generation, we will also allow advertising on the blocks."

The developers will maintain the toilet blocks for 30 years.

The MCD promises the toilet complexes will be state-of-the-art and will be as good as those found in a reputed hotel. The cost of constructing one toilet block will be Rs 1 crore. The toilets will not have doors but will have transparent shutters. Various vending machines to dispense whatever might be needed and an odour meter to keep a check on foul smells. Added an MCD official: "The design and choice of material will ensure minimum consumption of electricity and water, and solar panels will be installed. There are existing toilets blocks in some markets while new ones will be built in others in varied sizes large, medium, small depending on space availability. Dhalaos will be broken down to make way for these complexes. People will be charged Rs 2 to use the toilet while regular users will have the option of buying a toilet card.''