GHMC toilets at petrol bunks, hotels lie in neglect

Secunderabad: Maintaining sanitation levels in areas around Secunderabad has become a herculean task for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) authorities.

While the department has already set up several public toilets in areas with heavy to medium public movement and has directed private management of malls, petrol pumps, and food joint owners to allow people to use their restrooms, people still express their doubts on hygiene being maintained in such places. With no one to question the cleanliness standards maintained at the privately maintained spaces, the management too is turning a deaf ear to address the problems faced by people.

In a recent incident at Tarnaka, it was found that despite displaying showing signs of both ‘She’ and ‘He’ Toilets, there was only one restroom for common use at a petrol bunk but what shook the customer was that even that washroom did not have a water supply, and neither was the commode neatly washed. Disgusted with the ill-maintenance of sanitation levels in the petrol bunk, the customer on condition of anonymity said, " It is unfortunate all the drama on the name of Swachh Bharat is a failure when people cannot even relieve themselves at hygienic washrooms.

We can’t take time and again blame GHMC for sanitation issues because it also depends on the mindset of these private managements. It is a shame that just to show put that they are serving the public, these people are actually playing with the lives of people. If someone contracts urinal disease after using such kind of toilets, it is these people who are supposed to be responsible for it. There is a strict need to have laws that tighten the grip of the municipality over sanitation issues prevalent in these privately maintained places of public movement."

BY Maitreyi Tadepalli