Mumbai: The Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) has grown tremendously as a premium commercial, financial and residential centre in the past decade. But appallingly, it is lacking in a very basic amenity - there are not enough public toilets in this hub of activity. With its proximity to the airports and good connectivity to the western and eastern corridors, BKC is the go-to place as it is the destination of world-class businesses and houses several offices and sees heavy footfall. However, for the service sector that ferries the public here, like taxi and autorickshaw drivers, there’s nowhere to go when nature calls, it would appear.
This reporter and the photographer went on a round of the BKC on Wednesday and this is what they saw: At several spots, pedestrians and motorists were using open grounds for urination. There are five pay-and-use public toilets in the BKC. At one of the public toilets located at the Maharashtra BKC signal, the operators said not many were aware of the existence of this facility because advertisements are plastered on the outer walls of this toilet. There is a blink-and-miss ‘Toilet’ painted in between these ads, which is obviously missed by those in need of it.
Raju Circle, private car driver, told The Free Press Journal, finding a public loo in the BKC is a big task. “There are some public toilets, but on the main road of BKC, not in the interior of this commercial hub. The authorities should at least provide mobile toilet facilities on every road, so we drivers will not be forced to pee in the open.”
Another driver, Kishore Sonawane, 63, said, they are not allowed to use the toilets in corporate offices. “Inside the BKC, there is only one public toilet, a paid one belonging to a private hotel, which charges Rs 10 per use. If in a 12-hour duty period, a driver has to go five times, at this rate, he ends up spending Rs 50 in every day, just to pee. That is expensive. Why can’t the authorities provide basic toilet facilities here despite making such huge profits by renting out office space?” he asked.
MMRDA commissioner R A Rajeev, when told about the lack of public toilets in the BKC, forcing drivers to pee in the open, replied that they were planning to set up more toilet blocks, e-toilets, in fact, to resolve the issue. However, he also slammed people for peeing at public places, saying that they lacked civic sense.
Rajeev said, “The drivers are giving the excuse of the toilets being at a distance of one or two kilometres, which is not true. Secondly, that should not be an excuse for peeing in the open. It’s usually the mentality of men that if the place is isolated, they relieve themselves right there, instead of walking a few metres to reach the public toilet. Such people have bad habits and we can do nothing about it.”
Mahesh Sahu, an autorickshaw driver also expressed annoyance with the authorities for its apathy towards this basic human need.
