VISAKHAPATNAM: The authorities of Visakhaptnam International Airport are having second thoughts about the proposal to set up e-toilets outside the terminal building, saying it is not cost-effective.
Airport director Vinod Sharma said that owing to higher maintenance cost, permanent toilets would be a better option and they will hold discussions with the civil engineers and operation in-charge on the proposal again on Monday.
Earlier, the airport officials mooted several plans to improve the passengers’ amenities in view of the considerable rise in the passenger traffic. As part of the exercise, e-toilets were planned near the terminal building.
The site inspection by the team from Eram Scientific Solutions Private Limited was completed last month and two sites have been selected for construction of e-toilet project. The approximate expenditure was put at `12 lakh.
“However, six permanent toilets instead of two e-toilets at the same site can be constructed at the same cost,” said Air Port director Vinod Sharma.
Further, the per month average maintenance cost for the proposed e-toilets has been estimated to be somewhere between `8,000 and `10,000 and the staff for regular cleaning will be deployed by the contractor himself.
In contrast, the maintenance cost for the permanent toilets is minimal as the same staff deployed for cleaning the washrooms inside the terminal building can maintain the additional washrooms, Vinod Sharma explained.
Stating that there are 10 washrooms each for women, gents and physically handicapped inside the airport terminal building, Vinod Sharma said, “Washrooms on the airport premises are being cleaned in a semi-mechanised manner and 16 people work in each shift. But mechanised cleaning will be introduced very soon in the airport and as many as 25 people will work in each shift. We are waiting for approval from the higher authorities to float the tenders.”
The renovation works of all the washrooms inside the terminal building at an expenditure of `50 lakh has been started in phases and is expected to be completed by August.