CHENNAI: Soon, slum areas and other key points in Delhi will have Namma toilets, implemented in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. These would be set up under the Swachh Bharat Mission and a decision to this effect was taken at meeting chaired by Madhusudan Prasad, Secretary(Urban Development), Government of India on July 29. Various models of public toilets including the hugely popular ‘NAMMA’ model and the ones evolved by Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) were discussed.
Namma model was evolved on the idea of APJ Abdul Kalam, who had suggested this based on composite materials when he was Principal Scientific Advisor to former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee in 1998. Namma toilets were also appreciated by PM Narendra Modi when he saw them at the exhibition during the launch of three new urban missions last month.
The four urban local bodies of Delhi would identify 20 locations each for installing public toilet complex with 6 seats each.
This comes to a total of 480 toilet seats at 80 locations. Both ‘Namma’ and DUAC models would be used for building them. National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) will support part of the expenditure.
A release from the PIB said an Action Plan would be prepared for installing about 1,000 community toilet seats in slum areas.