ROURKELA: IN a bid to ensure successful running of public and community toilets under the Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) limits, the Rourkela Smart City Ltd (RSCL) will soon instal Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-enabled feedback devices to track realtime cleanliness and maintenance of the facilities.
The civic body been spending heavily on setting up of paid hybrid public and community toilets to achieve the goal of total sanitation. But, sustainability of these facilities in the long run completely depends on cleanliness and maintenance. Sources said the RSCL has decided to instal ICT-based feedback devices at all toilets of RMC and the devices would be GPS-tagged as the responses of the users would be monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Union Ministry of Urban Development and RMC.
The user-friendly device would act as interactive dashboard for monitoring and generate daily report with realtime performance index of all toilets. The device’s red button would indicate worst level of satisfaction, while yellow and green buttons would indicate moderate and highest levels of satisfaction respectively from the perspective of cleanliness, operation and maintenance of the toilets.
The administration in August had announced that it will make open defecation punishable at targeted locations in the city. Accordingly, it was decided to impose a fine of `50 per head per offence. The city was declared Smart City in September 2016.
RMC sources said it has a target to set up 102 paid hybrid public and community toilets across the city and 125 units of modular toilets at 25 locations. So far, work on about 35 public and community toilets has been completed, but all are not fully put to use.
In July, Housing and Urban Development department Secretary G Mathivathanan had directed all five municipal corporations in the State to ensure water and power supply to all community and hybrid toilets by August 15.
Rourkela ADM and RSCL Chief Executive Officer Monisha Banerjee has appealed to the targeted population to use toilets and make the city open defection-free. She hoped that once installed, the ICT-enabled feedback devices would go a long way in ensuring cleanliness and maintenance of the toilets.