Toilets at Periyakulam cry for attention

Coimbatore: Poor maintenance of toilets at Periyakulam lake, which is developed under the smart city scheme, is causing lots of hardship for the visitors.
Thousands of people visit the lake that now features a beautiful landscape and entertainment facilities and the footfalls cross the 6,000-mark on the weekends. And they find the unclean toilets a big let-down. There are three toilets and all of them are free to use. Two of them are, however, rendered unusable in the absence of daily upkeep and regular water supply. While the remaining one on the east side of the lake is clean, the users are charged Rs5 in violation of the rules. There is no clarity as to who is collecting the money and on what basis.
H Mahalakshmi, a resident of Podanur, said all the visitors were forced to use only the “pay and use” toilet, as the remaining two were unclean. “The facility with just one toilet seat is located at one corner of the lake. Hence, people are forced to wait for their turn and walk for a few minutes to access the facility.”
S Naveen, a visitor, said water was not available in the other two toilets. “The doors are broken and they don’t have latches. Often, a large number of empty liquor bottles are found inside the washroom and toilet. It is evident that the toilets are not being maintained properly.”
The toilets also do not have signage to indicate whether they are meant for gents or ladies. The same is written only in Tamil. Those who do not know Tamil would have a difficult time figuring out the right toilet.
A corporation worker said “I have seen many North Indian men using the women’s toilets, as they do not know Tamil. Many seek our help to identify the right toilet.”
When contacted, corporation commissioner M Prathap confirmed that all the toilets were free to use. “Users are not supposed to be charged. I will look into the issue and take appropriate action. All the toilets will be cleaned and maintained in good condition.”