1 week Ago By Preetika P
Chennai: Two public toilets are being built near the newly constructed Hasthinapuram bus terminus, and 43 more are underway across Tambaram Corporation's five zones. The project, officials say, addresses long-standing sanitation problems in Hasthinapuram. Poor maintenance of the toilet at the newly completed bus stop earlier this year turned the area into an open defecation spot.
The two new facilities, funded under the Swachh Bharat Mission at a cost of 10 lakh, are part of a broader effort to improve sanitation across the corporation's 70 wards, said corporation commissioner S Balachander. "Our focus is also on creating awareness and ensuring the facilities remain clean and accessible," he said. Officials also plan to outsource maintenance for both new and existing toilets to improve their upkeep.
Residents near the bus stop say the new toilets are essential. For vendors like Dhanpal M, poor maintenance of the existing toilet created challenges. "Once, I tried to use it, but cattle were tied nearby.
I was too scared to go in," he said. The problem extended to a nearby higher secondary school, where students and teachers struggled with the stench, said Thangaraj G, the school's security guard. Tambaram Corporation's control room received over 200 complaints of open defecation, including 175 related to poorly maintained toilets.
As part of its plan to achieve open defecation-free status, the corporation will also conduct a field survey to identify "hotspots" that include parks and abandoned buildings. A senior corporation engineer said the toilets near the Hasthinapuram bus stop would be ready by Dec. "We are also renovating municipal parks in Srinivasan Nagar and Venkatraman Nagar in Sembakkam to address similar complaints arising from neglected spaces," the engineer said.
Residents' welfare associations (RWAs) suggest creating a monitoring committee to ensure the toilets remain functional. Lakshmi Priya, a member of the Madambakkam RWA, said, "A team of volunteers from the area can work with corporation officials to inspect the facilities regularly. This way, any maintenance issue can be reported and resolved quickly.
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