CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has received administrative sanction to construct public toilets in the city under the DBFOT (design, build, finance, operate, and transfer) model, which is currently rolled out in three zones. The Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department approved the project through a government order dated December 6, at an outlay of Rs 1,202 crore.
The initiative is an extension of the project being implemented on a pilot basis in zones 5, 6, and 7 (Marina), where 3,270 toilets were set up at 372 locations at a cost of Rs 430 crore. According to an official release, 70% of the work in these zones has been completed, with maintenance now underway.
The project will be rolled out in three additional packages. The contractor will be responsible for constructing new facilities, or retrofit and maintain available ones. They will be allowed to utilise toilet walls for advertisements and also be provided with expenditures for toilet maintenance based on key performance indicators. The work will be supervised by an independent engineer consultant.
This proposal was earlier presented for approval at the corporation council meeting in September, however, a few councillors objected to the move stating that package-1 of the project itself has not shown any considerable progress.