Mumbai: There's some good news for women who struggle to find proper toilets in city. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon roll out air-conditioned Ti-Toilets, making use of scrap buses with Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport undertaking. Interestingly, Ti-Toilets, besides serving its main purpose will also serve as a breast feeding centre and a 'health cafe'.
The BMC initiative is to address the complaints that there are not enough public toilets available for women in city limits. Due to lack of space, the BMC too has so far failed to provide public toilets as per the requirement in busy locations. In fact, there are no public toilets at all on the highways from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, Dahisar and Thane.
Shiv Sena corporator Sachin Padwal had suggested that the BMC come up with alternate plans to address the concern. The facility will be rolled out on an experimental basis with just one bus in the initial stage. The facility will be fully air-conditioned.
“Women travelling in and out of Mumbai are facing huge inconvenience due to lack of proper toilets. I have demanded such mobile toilets be put in crowded areas where proper toilet structure cannot be set up. Scrap BEST buses can be made use of for the facility,” said Padwal.
These toilets will have sanitary napkins, trained female attendant, solar operated lights, digital feedback system and health cafe. There will be a separate section where women can breastfeed their babies. Tea-snacks will be available at health cafe on the other end of the facility.
The first Ti-Toilet will be stationed near Taraporewala Aquarium at Marine Drive, which always have a steady inflow of visitors.
Three companies have come forward to fund these mobile toilets from their Corporate Social Responsiblity (CSR) fund. BMC has plans of having this facility at 15 spots at various locales on the highways. "It will take about a month’s time as we have floated tender for designing the scrap bus, after which 10 more buses will be modified into Ti-Toilets," said a BMC official.
