Sordid tale of a public toilet in Egmore used by over 200 families

CHENNAI: Egmore (Ward 58), considered to be the gateway of Central Chennai connecting thousands of railway passengers, is lagging behind on the sanitation front.

A public toilet in the area, which was the only source of facility for over 200 families residing in Naval Hospital road, has been in a dilapidated condition for years. The stench from the premises is unbearable, lament residents.

The public conservancy facility is not only in bad shape, but also lacks privacy and security. Residents have to bear with leaky roofs, slippery floors, worn out water taps, broken latches and missing doors.

“Most families residing here do not have toilet facilities in their homes,” said A Manoj, a resident. “For the past 5 years, this public toilet has not cleaned or repaired. Local politicians have other priorities than addressing the issues related to public toilets.”

In case of the facility on Naval Hospital Road, the toilet has 10 separate latrines for men and women, but they’re either broken or unclean. “We don’t have a separate toilet in our house. So we have to use the public toilet but the condition is appalling. Locks and doors are missing. Teenage girls of this locality are more affected as they can’t even go there alone. They have to be dependent on another family member to ensure privacy,” said Revathy (name changed) a resident.

Even water taps are broken and in some latrines, they’re missing. “Nobody cleans them regularly. Contractors don’t seem to care about maintenance, as our complaints to the local authorities have been in vain,” fumed Manoj.

When DT Next contacted Ward 58 Councillor Rajeshwari Sridhar, she dismissed these allegations and said: “I’ve been visiting the public toilets every week, and it’s in good shape. Other than a few toilets, most of them are in usable condition.”

Stating that the toilet on Naval Hospital Road was maintained by a private contractor, she added, “In 3 months, it’ll be demolished and new toilets will be built. We’ve been looking into public complaints. Steps will be taken to address them.”