Mumbai: Despite a stay order on the construction of aspiration toilets at seven places in Mumbai, the BMC on Tuesday invited a tender for appointing a contractor for operation and maintenance for these toilets for the next 10 years.
These toilets will be at key locations including opposite Lion Gate, on K.B. Patil road opposite High Court, Vidhan Bhavan, Banganga in Walkeshwar, Mahim Reti Bunder, opposite Fashion Street and Khau Galli.
Background of Aspirational Toilets
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, aspirational toilets—modern public restrooms for high-footfall areas—were proposed at 14 locations. However, seven were dropped: three due to being on open spaces, one in Dharavi due to its inclusion in the redevelopment project, one near Sion Fort due to lack of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) permission, and one in Worli (VB Worlikar Marg) was canceled by the civic authorities.
Eventually, only seven toilets were constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore. During the assembly session, the state government ordered an inquiry led by municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani into alleged rule violations in the construction of toilets in South Mumbai.
Scope of Tender and Maintenance Work
However, the BMC has issued a tender to appoint an agency for 24x7 operation of public toilets, covering cleaning, waste management, utilities, and upkeep of facilities like sanitary napkin dispensers and baby care rooms. The agency will also handle maintenance, safety, user guidance, and reporting. .
A civic official of Solid Waste Management department said, "The contract for these aspirational toilets was awarded in 2023, funded by the Mumbai City District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) fund, and sanctioned by then Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar; current officials are not responsible for the project."
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Official Statement on Operations
However, Gagrani said, "There are no major issues except at Lion Gate and Fashion Street locations. We have requested the state government to allow continuation and lifting of operations at other places."
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