No paid public toilets in Chennai

Public toilets within Greater Chennai Corporation limits will soon start sporting a new board that reads ‘No Fee Zone’ to emphasise that these facilities must not charge users for using them. On November 19, Mayor R. Priya unveiled a special stamp for World Toilet Day and ‘No Fee Zone’ signage to reinforce that every public toilet in Chennai is free.

Public toilets in the city have largely been free baring some of them where janitors have charged a small fee, so what is new?

“Many have even carried a board saying ‘free toilet’ but some would deliberately hide the board or collect a fee illegally which we want to prevent completely. The ‘No Fee Zone’ board will be placed at such a height that it can be seen easily by anyone. They are aware that they have free access,” says an official from the Special Projects Department of Greater Chennai Corporation. “There are no paid toilets maintained by GCC.”

The lollipop-style signboards will be complemented by badges worn by janitors and stickers on toilet doors to state that no fee will be collected for using a public toilet.

GCC has assigned concessionaires across Zones I to XV for construction, maintenance and technology integration of toilets.

“When the DBFO (design, build, finance and operate) model was being discussed with stakeholders, GCC decided that these signages will help in clarifying any ambiguity among users and make people more aware of the facts,” says V.R. Hari Balaji, CEO, Urban PCT Three (Ferrgra), the concessionaire responsible for maintaining toilets coming under Zones VII to X (excluding Marina).

There are three other firms that have been assigned by GCC to manage toilets under the public private partnership model.

Under the new arrangement, companies managing toilets are required to follow certain SOPs and have KPIs (key performance indicators) to be met. Each toilet is judged daily on cleanliness, odour control, water availability, lighting, safety, functional fixtures, manpower deployment, complaint closure and accessibility standards. “These toilets will be inspected by a third party,” says the GCC official.

Signage boards with QR codes and phone numbers have to be fixed on every facility for users to raise a complaint.

“Earlier, one agency was involved in construction and another in maintenance. Under the new arrangement, the same firm takes care of operation and maintenance for a period of eight years which will fix accountability,” says Hari.