VIJAYAWADA: Amidst scathing criticism for allowing unfit buses to ply on the city’s roads, the AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has come up with a novel initiative to transform old buses into mobile urinals instead of disposing them of as scarp or confining them to garages. The engineering wing of the APSRTC recently transformed a 45-seater Palle Velugu bus (AP 28 Z 5816) into a urinal to be used during the gathering of huge crowds during festivities and other events. Its services were used during the Maha Shivaratri festival at Kotappakonda in Guntur district. The initiative was mooted by former APSRTC vice-chairman and managing director M Malakondaiah to eradicate the menace of open defecation as part of the Swachh Bharat initiative.
The corporation operates 11,781, buses. At least 16 per cent of them have logged more than 15 lakh km and should, as per norms, be sent to the scrapyard. ‘’Until now, we haven’t received any response from the Municipal Administration Department. If they take to the idea, we will convert more buses into urinals instead of dumping them in scrapyards,” he said.
Financial crunch at the transport body made officials rethink on bidding adieu to old buses and instead set aside a fleet for Palle Velugu services in rural areas. ‘’The mobile urinal was designed at an estimated cost of `2 lakh keeping in mind modern techniques. The unit will have five urinal basins in the gents section.
The women’s side will have three western closets and a huge mirror. The toilet bus has a swanky interior, complete with a music system, nice sinks, hand sanitisers and other facilities for the comfort of those using it,” said a senior official of APSRTC on the condition of anonymity. From the outside, the bus looks like any ordinary one would. To provide uninterrupted flow of water, the bus has four tanks each with a capacity of 200 litres. The waste carrier on the other hand can hold up to 600 litres, which can be drained into nearby sewage plants, he said. The mobile urinal concept evoked great response in Gujarat, withlocal bodies there showing interest in procuring such vehicles to control open defecation.