Coimbatore: Photo of public toilet with twin seats draws flak

COIMBATORE: A photo of a public toilet with twin seats in Coimbatore went viral on social media on Wednesday, drawing criticism from different quarters.
The toilet, which does not have a door, is located in Ward 66 at Amman Kulam.
The social media users, who were apparently baffled at seeing the twin seat toilet, criticised the city corporation.
They said they could not understand how it could be used by people. They were also curious to know which government was in power when the toilet was constructed.
City corporation commissioner M Prathap said the toilet was constructed 12 years ago for children and the facility was not in use presently. He said instruction were given to revamp the toilet and open the same for the public.
An official with the engineering wing said open defecation was rampant in a few places some 12 years ago.
“Such locations were chosen for setting up public toilets. It was then decided to construct exclusive seats for children. Hence, the twin seats. Higher officials have instructed us to modify the toilet in a way elders could use the same.”
The toilet is free to use and is being maintained by a private agency that the civic body hired.
According to the local residents, the toilet is not being cleaned regularly and hence many aren’t using it. One of them said only the people who didn’t have any other choice were using the facility.