KOCHI: Despite being the financial capital of the state with a resident population of 1.35 million and a floating population of 2 lakh per day, the city lacks basic conveniences like public toilets.One of the major discomforts faced by a visitor to Kochi is the absence of hygienic public restrooms. Though several proposals were forward by the Kochi Corporation to construct public toilets in the past, none of them materialised. One of these such projects was the joint venture by CREDAI Kochi, Creative Team and the Corporation. The plan was to set up 20 pay-and-use toilets in the city on a BoT basis. The project failed to take-off due to some disagreement between the Corporation and CREDAI on the maintenance period.While residents conveniently put the blame on the Corporation, the authorities have a different story to tell. It seems that when it comes to their locality, some Kochiites are against the idea of public toilets. “The Corporation had planned to construct 10 public restrooms in recent months. But the plan had to be stalled as residents of the areas concerned protested saying it would be impossible for them to live near a public toilet,” claimed a Kochi Corporation employee.However, Ernakulam District Residents Association Apex Committee (EDRAAC) president Rangadasa Prabhu said: “There have been no such protests by the residents so far. We are well aware that it is a neccessity in such a big city.”Considering the situation, a new project for setting up of e-toilets in strategic spots has been proposed by the CREDAI. The new toilets will be Internet-enabled and operate in a fully-automated mode, having a coin-operated entry mechanism.“The proposal has been approved by the Kochi Corporation Town Planning Committee. We are awaiting further approval. If the proposal comes through, we are sure that the project will be a success,” said Kabeer V Haroon, Project Director, CREDAI, Kochi.
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