Bhopal: Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is desperate to become India’s cleanest city, is struggling to claim this tag. The reason is lack of cleanliness and poor condition of toilets in BMC offices where filth pervades. Its toilets’ taps remain dry due to water paucity. A team of Quality Control of India (QCI) is likely to visit the city to take stock of the cleanliness drives undertaken by the local civic body.
But the cleanliness drives undertaken by BMC seems to be falling apart after a reality check on toilets. On one hand, Mayor Alok Sharma has initiated drive to dissuade people from defecating in the open. On other hand, there are no proper toilets for visitors to BMC offices.
For example, the BMC’s public relations office located near T T Nagar is visited by scores of residents every day. But this office does not have toilets for visitors. The PRO staff guides visitors to go outside. Over 10 women employees work in the office.
Deputy municipal commissioner Harish Gupta said that the overhead tank is under construction, which will be completed in two or three weeks. “There is no water scarcity. But we can’t open a toilet in every government office. One can visit the nearby public facilities for the need,” he said.
The condition of toilets at Rain Basera, the place where visitors can stay at inexpensive rates, is worse. When this reported visited it, he found that it is difficult to stand there even for couple of seconds. In the same campus lies the municipal ward office of zone 32. Despite having enough space and scores of women employees, it has only one toilet, which is unisex.
Ward coprorator Jagdish Yadav, when contacted, said that he is unaware of the filthy status of the toilet. “I will ensure its cleaning,” he told Free Press. He also said that the ward office will be shifted to some other location where he will ensure construction of separate toilets for men and women.
