For Games, civic body begins work on upgraded toilets

With the Commonwealth Games approaching, upgrading public utilities seems to be the top priority of the city’s civic agencies.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has started work on 25 new public toilets at strategic locations ahead of the October event.

The toilets will have diaper-changing boards and shelves for purses in the women’s toilets. They will be disabled- friendly as well. Work on building and maintaining the toilets has been awarded to Hythro Power Corporation Limited. Recently, the NDMC sent a proposal to the company, asking for inclusion of the facilities mentioned.

“In shopping areas, women with babies often need a place to change diapers. Also, while using a toilet, women often find no place to keep their purses and bags. We have thus asked the concessionaires to incorporate shelves in the toilets and also have diaper-changing boards,” a senior NDMC official said.

The civic body is constructing the toilets in areas that see a lot of pedestrian traffic such as markets and office clusters.

He added the company has started upgrading 42 other toilets in the Rajpath area, also for the Commonwealth Games. Only minor structural changes will be made in these public utilities.

New mirrors, toilet pots and washbasins will be installed. Once the toilets are ready, the Health department of the NDMC will keep a regular check on its cleanliness.

The company will be responsible for the maintenance of the toilets for 10 years. The NDMC has also given work of maintaining 18 garbage stations to the company.

The new toilets are coming up in areas like Ashoka Road, Janpath Lane, Gole Market, Shanker Market, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, North Avenue taxi stand, Parliament Street, Tolstoy road, KG Marg and Babar Road, among others. The service will be free. The concessionaires will pay NDMC Rs 26 lakhs per month.