Public toilets to make way for recreation centres

The North civic agency has asked for suggestions from its departments on how to utilise the space after the toilets are razed. “The health department suggested that dispensaries should be built,whereas the community service department proposed recreation centres. We have to take a final decision on the matter,” Prakash said.

The city has over 1,000 community toilets,of which 439 are maintained by a private agency. “The condition of public toilets is deplorable. These are not maintained properly. Most of them are broken and some don’t have water and electricity. It is high time the administration takes cognisance of the issue,” V P Pandey,a North corporation official said.

Officials said a proposal to demolish defunct toilets was made before the MCD was trifurcated and when K S Mehra was the municipal commissioner.

However,the plan could not be taken up for implementation because of the civic elections. “The decision to replace the abandoned and broken community toilets was taken in the last few months by the erstwhile MCD. Now that the elections are over and staff allotted,work has restarted,” an official said.

The North corporation has ordered a fresh inspection of all community public toilets in the city. “We conducted a similar inspection in March. But a new survey will be carried out in areas under the jurisdiction of the North Delhi corporation,” an official said.