GCC plans 62 smart toilets with Wi-Fi, rooftop solar panels

According to a Chennai Corporation official, the proposed smart toilets will have facilities, including Wi-Fi, potable water, ATMs nearby, sanitary pad vending machines, solar photovoltaic rooftop panels, and commercial spaces for advertising.

Meanwhile, the civic body invited Expression of Interest (EIA) from bidders a few days ago. The prospective firms will build, operate and maintain the toilets under the Public-Private Partnership method.

As per national statistics, there has to be one public toilet per 50 people for the slum population and one per 100 people for the transient population. Hence, the GCC has decided to work on improving the public toilets around the city in two ways; one by refurbishing the existing toilets and two by constructing new toilets as per the nature of the population under study, the document released by the civic body said.

“To reach the standard, we have proposed new toilets across the city. The new smart toilets will come up at core city zones,” the official added.

The 62 locations include Broadway bus stand, High Court, Beach Lane, Alandur Metro Station, Alandur Court and other areas.

Presently, Chennai has 800 conventional toilets with 7,300 seats. The civic body will allow the selected firm to generate revenue by allowing advertisements.

Other features include automatic flush, LED indicators to notify users of the status of occupancy, and display boards in English, Tamil, and Hindi.