GHMC to operate 12 mobile She Toilets

Surprisingly, among 4 seats in the toilet, one is meant for men

Even as 45 She Toilets installed at the cost of `2.28 crore under corporate social responsibility (CSR) are lying unused across the city due to poor maintenance, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has now decided to procure another 12 mobile She Toilets for the convenience of women.

Each mobile She Toilet will have four seats. It will have a baby feeder room, pad indicator, CCTV cameras at the entrance, electronic feedback gathering, vandal-proof access doors, rear advertisement panel, which may be monetised based on the availability of donors or other modes.

Surprisingly, among the four seats in the mobile She Toilet, one will be meant for men, with a separate entrance. The mobile toilets will have disabled-friendly access too.

According to the civic body officials, the GHMC, with a view to provide better hygienic conditions to the citizens of Hyderabad intends to provide advanced mobile She Toilets with essential amenities at select locations. With an objective of strengthening safety and security of women in public places in the city, the safe city project has been taken up in Hyderabad and among various measures.

Mobile She Toilets is one of the measures to make toilet access easier to women while travelling from one place to another. On October 20, last year, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) provided three mobile toilets for men and women with ‘toilet on wheels’ concept. The corporation stationed one at Suchitra Junction and assured to place two of them at Moosapet and Kukatpally. However, their assurance has just remained on paper.

This apart, out of 45 existing She Toilets, most of them are dysfunctional. The corporation authorities came up with an explanation that due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, the usage of toilets was minimal and eventually they became dysfunctional.

Authorities said efforts were made to restore all of them but they could only restore 27 till date and it was a continuous process. Though the authorities initially set up coin boxes to provide access to the toilets, later they removed them and made the toilets free to use.

Officials have also decided to decentralise them to the zonal level after entering an annual maintenance contract with private agencies.

A senior GHMC official, requesting anonymity, told Deccan Chronicle that the corporation would now procure 12 mobile She Toilets and price for the same would be finalised after the delivery by the agency.

He said that the corporation had already finalised the designs, with four seats, three for women and one for men with a baby feeder room and pad indicator apart from several other facilities.

ALREADY INSTALLED 45 she-toilets at the cost of `2.28 crore under CSR are lying unused due to poor maintenance.