12 public toilets near stadium to get new look

Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has began facelift work on 12 public toilets along the arteries passing through and close to Kalinga Stadium, the venue for the hockey World Cup. Besides, an e-toilet each will be positioned at major intersections where people’s movement is likely to be more while four designated parking lots around the stadium will have two mobile toilets each.
“The toilets are being renovated and beautified. The tiles on the floor and on the walls are being replaced and water supply system is also being looked into,” Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) deputy commissioner (sanitation) Suvendu Sahu said.
It has been seen that despite having toilets along busy roads, people shy away from using them because of poor condition and personal habit. They would rather urinate in the open than use a toilet. Having considered this aspect of people’s behaviour, the BMC is now trying to make the toilets better in terms of sanitation, look and appeal.
In 2019, the BMC had tried to introduce penalty for urinating in open. It had approved the solid waste management by-laws, 2018 (schedule 6) to impose penalty, but is yet to be enforced. The number of public toilets in the city has gone up from 14 in 2018 to 72 in 2022.