The city does not have enough public toilets for hundreds of commuters, including tourists, who frequent it every day. These passengers are forced to rely on hotels and restaurants for their needs. Even the authorities agree that one such facility set up at Subash Park with the help of an agency is not functioning satisfactorily.

The Corporation had received a proposal from an organisation of builders for setting up toilets in the city. The proposal was to construct toilets at Palarivattom, Kaloor bus stand, Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, entry point to the Goshree bridges at High Court Junction, the bus stop at Maharaja’s College ground, MG Road, Vyttila, Palluruthy, Edakochi, Fort Kochi and Thoppumpady.

The plan was to set up toilets on private-public-participation mode. The cost of each toilet unit was between Rs 12 and Rs 22 lakh. But the project didn’t take off due to difference of opinion between the local body and the agency that proposed the project. The agency demanded that the advertisement rights in these units should be given to them for 30 years, but the Corporation was ready to allot the right only for 15 years.

There was an alternative proposal to set up a society for running the facility. But that too did not materialse.