Mumbai: How good are public toilets along Western Express Highway?

An audit of public toilets along the roughly 23km stretch between Dahisar East and Bandra East on the Western Express Highway WEH revealed alarming levels of filth and disrepair Of nine toilets examined in part two of middayrsquos test drive series eight were found to be dirty smelly and virtually unusable prompting fresh concerns about the cityrsquos sanitation effortsAccording to the auditrsquos preliminary findings these toilets suffer due to inadequate maintenance and poor waste management The survey noted that five of the nine toilets were built using MLA or corporator funds while two were constructed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC and two were maintained by private firms Several toilets touted to be ldquoairconditionedrdquo were not and except for one all were found to be dirty and poorly maintainedThe BMCbuilt lavatory which users described as smelly PicsKirti Surve ParadeCivic authorities acknowledge the severity of the problem Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kiran Dighavkar said ldquoWe will look into the issue of unclean toilets We are planning to introduce a new kind of public toilet where the footfall is high These will not be just toilets These toilets will provide various facilities like lockers to keep peoplersquos belongingsrdquoLocal activists however remain sceptical Dahisarbased social activist Sagar Maithani said ldquoI can understand toilets on internal roads being neglected though that shouldnrsquot be the case but how can those on the highway remain unclean and poorly maintained Many were built with MP or MLA funds and launched amid fanfare Now their condition is dismal The BMC a nodal agency for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan must set stricter standards Also why arenrsquot more BMCbuilt toilets coming up on the highwayrdquoWhile civic officials say stricter cleaning schedules and enhanced overseeing are in the pipeline for thousands of commuters immediate improvements canrsquot come soon enoughHidden loo near Shankarwadi AndheriThe BMCbuilt lavatory which users described as smelly PicsKirti Surve ParadeLocated next to Sneh Sadan this toilet has no noticeable structure or flashy banners indicating who commissioned it A small arrowlike board points the way to the entrance Given the condition of other toilets expectations here were low but this facility turned out to be surprisingly clean and wellmaintained with shiny tiles and a fresh scent Maintained by Fumes International Ltd it was clean and an air freshener had been sprayed The charge was Rs 2Toilet at Devala Pada Borivli EastFrom the outside this BMCbuilt facility looks fine Inside however it is dirty and smelly especially the ladiesrsquo section where water leakage leaves the floor damp and grimy A child managing the toilet and collecting money from the public said many local slum dwellers and homeless people from Devipada and Magathane use this facility for bathing and washing clothes They charge users R5 A commuter Muskaan Wadhwa an architect said ldquoI was travelling from Mira Road and saw this toilet on the highway so I got off the auto to use it However it is very smelly and I donrsquot think anybody would want to use this toilet unless it is an emergencyrdquoBMC toilet opposite Akurli Metro stationThe toilet in Kandivli maintained by the Sarvalok Vikas Seva MandalCommissioned by the BMC this toilet in Kandivli was constructed near the bus stand and is maintained by an organisation Sarvalok Vikas Seva Mandal It was found dirty and short on water during the visit though it was slightly better than the first two toilets visited in Borivli The caretaker who appears to be staying in the maintenance room keeps clothes utensils and other belongings inside the ladiesrsquo toilet Users were charged Rs 5 Asked about the dirty conditions the woman managing the place said ldquoI personally clean the place but people who come here do not flushrdquoAC toilet at DindoshiThe toilet maintained by Ms Kutir Mandal at DindoshiThis toilet also commissioned by MLA Prabhu is maintained by Ms Kutir Mandal Neither the air conditioner nor the toilet blocks were in a usable condition the stench was overpowering making it difficult even to enter The charge was R5AC lavatory at Kurar village in Malad EastThe toilet at Kurar villageThe upkeep of this toilet set up by Shiv Sena UBT MLA Sunil Prabhu was very poor brooms and other items were stored inside toilet blocks The place smelled as bad as the other toilets The caretaker seemed unconcerned about people entering and leaving Asked how much one should pay he did not charge anything The AC was nonoperationalAC toilet at Magathane Borivli EastThe facility tied to former MNS MLA Pravin Darekar at MagathaneThis swanky toilet was commissioned by former MNS MLA Pravin Darekar who defected to the BJP after losing the Assembly poll in 2014 The facility once boasted a sofa set costing over Rs 25 lakh a 42inch LCD TV and air conditioners worth over R2 lakh Spread over 3000 sq ft it has separate cubicles for men and women bathing provisions and a changing room However all these amenities are now in poor condition The toilet blocks were illmaintained and dirty On the day of the visit the room with the TV was locked and the ACs were nonoperationalA commuter told midday ldquoThey have written in big bold letters that this is an AC toiletmdashthe signboard also mentions the same However forget the AC the buckets and taps inside are so filthy you donrsquot want to touch them Toilets on the highway are important amenitiesrdquoAC toilet in MaladThe toilet commissioned by BJP MLA Atul BhatkhalkarDubbed a ldquostar toiletrdquo some five years ago this facility commissioned by BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar is now smelly and dirty The seating outside is rusted and it is manned by random people who live there Upon inquiry they said they have no specific experience or expertise in managing a toilet A person started cleaning the toilet block when approached and asked the visitors to wait until the cleaning was doneVakolarsquos vile Sulabh ShauchalayaThe washroom maintained by Sulabh InternationalThis filthy toilet surrounded by a garbage dump is maintained by Sulabh International The person managing it said that they were in the process of cleaning the washroom and it could not be used at that moment Manu Gala the owner of a grocery store near the lavatory said ldquoThe toilet is unhygienic most of the time and there is no water I have complained to the local BMC office but they say the facility is not under themrdquoToilet near Chataiwala Chawl Santacruz EastThe public washroom on a WEH service road in SantacruzThis old public toilet commissioned by former corporator Sada Parab on a service road in Santacruz is maintained by the Ekyavardhini Mahila Mandal It was not extremely dirty but reeked and the ladiesrsquo toilet blocks located behind the structure seemed secluded and unsafe Users were charged Rs 2