CHENNAI: For several months now, users of Greater Chennai Corporation toilets are being charged for using the facility which is free of cost. Corporation staff are also being suspected to be involved in the illegal act.
Officials said that in a few weeks, the toilets will be handed over to private players for maintenance. This leaves the civic body officials merely a few days to investigate and initiate action against those who have pocketed the illegally collected money.
Across all 15 zones of Chennai Corporation, caretakers stationed outside these ‘free’ public toilets have been collecting Rs 5 to use the latrines and Rs 3 for urinals. Corporation officials claim repeated warnings and action have been initiated against the collection of money. However, it has not been enough to stop the collection; the public toilet next to the Ripon Buildings at Periamet allegedly charges the fee, local residents said.
On Saturday alone,the caretaker of a public corporation toilet in Adyar zone said that the footfall could have ranged between 75-80 based on the collection at the end of the day that stood at around Rs 400. The toilets are open from 5:30 am to 10:30 pm.
In a month, he estimates the collection would range from Rs 8,000 to Rs 11,000. The expanded Corporation has 200 wards and under it, there are 832 public toilets. Even if only half of these public toilets charge money for use and if the average monthly collection is pinned at Rs 5,000, the collection in a month across the city will cross Rs 20 lakh – of unaccounted money.
“Every evening I hand over the collection to the Corporation official who comes on rounds. I get Rs 100 a day,” said the caretaker who is a contract sanitary worker for the Corporation.
The caretaker of a public toilet in Annanagar zone (Zone 8), said he has been instructed by the conservancy inspector (CI) to collect the fee, that would be handed over to the official at the end of the day. “I don’t know what happens from there. I get Rs 100 a day,” he said, adding that the daily collection will be on an average Rs 300 on weekdays and Rs 500 on weekends.
In some wards, caretakers said they have been forced to get money from users to buy cleaning material and for general maintenance.
A caretaker in ward 177 of the city said, “I don’t force anyone to pay. If they give, we take it because we are forced to buy phenol and even brooms from our own pockets, we don’t get anything from the Corporation.”
Outside all of these toilets, a Corporation board that announces ‘Collection of fee is prohibited’, hangs.
P Srinivasan of the Red Flag Union, corporation recognised labour union for conservancy workers, said in some areas, the collection is divided among conservancy inspectors, assistant executive engineers and even former councillors while there are a few steadfast corporation officials who refuse to partake in the collusion.
Speaking to Express, a Corporation official said, “We are waiting for the election work to be completed to hand over maintenance to private players.” After this, private contractors would be allowed to charge Rs 3-5 for using the toilets. However, officials denied involvement of corporation officials in the collusion.