CHENNAI: The Corporation of Chennai will be rating toilets in a fresh bid to improve maintenance of these structures in the city, according to officials.
Speaking to City Express, officials said that toilets would be monitored using Key Performance Indicators (KPI), for which third party consultants will be hired. Tenders calling for consultants were floated last week.
The Corporation runs and maintains 989 free-to-use public toilets in the city — 821 in the core city and 168 in the expanded limits. Most of these structures are poorly maintained and have been rendered unusable.
Besides these, the Corporation also operates modular toilets and urinals in some locations across the city, but the maintenance of these facilities is also conducted in a questionable fashion.
“The third party consultants will monitor the maintenance performance of the contractor, who is responsible for the facility and will report to us. The consultants will provide weekly and monthly reports,” an official said. The civic body will also put together a team of officials who will independently visit the toilets and conduct surprise inspections. “The consultants’ report and the observations made during the inspection by our team of officials will help us rate the performance of the contractor,” added the official.
“The contractor who doesn’t meet the expected levels of maintenance will be warned. Punishment may include non-renewal of contract and possibly blacklisting, but these options are not being considered for the being,” an official said.
Some of the key performance indicators likely to be monitored include functional lighting, water supply, cleanliness of urinal and lavatory closets and maintenance of walls and ceilings. “Though we have yet to draw up a final list of KPI, these will more or less figure in it,” an official said.
The civic body is also looking to hire contractors for maintenance of a few public toilets that have been left unattended.
The basic input costs estimate required for the maintenance of these toilets have been submitted before the tender committee for approval.
Council Meet subdued due to Code of Conduct
The Corporation Council meet on Wednesday was subdued after Mayor Saidai S Duraisamy announced that key resolutions shall not be adopted due to Model Code of Conduct being in place after by-polls were announced in the RK Nagar constituency.
However, the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and AIADMK councillors took turns to congratulate Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on her assuming the power for the fifth time. “Puratchi Thalaivi Amma has assumed the power riding on the back of trust of nearly 10 crore Tamils around the world,” said Mayor Duraisamy.
Meanwhile, DMK councillors and the lone Congress councillor walked out in protest against the proceedings of the council