Petrol pumps in south Delhi told to repair, construct toilets by July 15
South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has issued an advisory to all petrol pumps under its jurisdiction to repair their toilet complexes by July 15 for public use.
According to officials, despite the clear-cut condition in the licenses issued to petrol pumps to provide public utility services in their complexes, there is no proper implementation. “Though a majority of petrol pumps have provision for toilets, the owners don’t put proper signages to avoid mess. They have been instructed on Friday to install such boards, at least in 4x3 feet size at the entrance,” said senior SDMC official.
The petrol pumps that lack this infrastructure were asked to construct the toilet within two weeks and make it functional by July 15. “We will nominate a nodal officer to keep a watch on the deadline,” said SDMC commissioner Puneet Goel.
At present, there are 150 petrol pumps in south Delhi and a majority of them have toilets. “Our survey found that some toilets were in a pathetic condition. Some pumps didn’t have provision for toilets for women,” said an SDMC official.
Once the toilet complexes are open to public at all petrol pumps, the total number of functioning toilets under SDMC jurisdiction will increase from 904 to 1,054. At present, there are 551 public toilets and another 353 community toilets providing free usage to the general public.
Two months ago, SDMC has asked hotels and restaurants in south Delhi to allow women and children use their toilets for free.
“Our official will conduct a survey to ensure that the toilets at petrol pumps remain clean and open for public during the working hours. They should have provision for running water as well,” said Kamaljeet Sehrawat, SDMC mayor.
If the petrol pump owners won’t abide by the advisory, they could be issued notices and challans. If they still don’t adhere, the trade licence of various utilities (such as restaurants, ATMs) operating in the petrol pumps will be suspended, he said.