PUNE: Pune Municipal Corporation has floated the ‘Maintain public toilets and get free advertisement space on the walls’ scheme to get corporates to ‘Adopt’ public toilets.
“We have prepared a proposal to this effect. Industries signing up for the scheme will be given the choice to either build new toilets or adopt existing ones and improve their condition. The scheme is at a preliminary stage.
We will submit the proposal to elected members once all the details are finalized “additional commissioner Rajendra Jagtap told mediapersons. He said that in both cases, the firms will help provide infrastructure, including manpower, to keep these facilities clean and in working condition.
According to civic officials, the administration has set itself a deadline of 14 days to clean all public toilets in the city. The decision was taken during a meeting of civic officials and elected members at the PMC office earlier this month.
Elected members, non-governmental organisations and citizens’ groups have repeatedly expressed concern about the lack of public toilet facilities and the poor condition of existing toilets.
They have suggested that the city should have a public toilet at a distance of every 500m. The suggestion has been added to the development plan in 2011 and the civic body aims to implement it.
Since 2011, over Rs 4.28 crore has been spent on building public toilets for women in the city. Since then, the number of the facilities has increased by 103 and the number of seats by 330.
“Industries can participate in this project on a build, operate and transfer basis or help through corporate social responsibility funds. Those who provide funds for this initiative will get space to advertise their product. Space can be provided on the walls of the toilets or surrounding areas,” said the additional Commissioner.
Officials said that some corporates have shown willingness to provide good toilet facilities in civic schools. The PMC’s school board has already set up a corporate social responsibility (CSR) wing to coordinate with the CSR cells of IT and automobile industries.
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