The Times of India             10.12.2013

Thane's urban poor to get more toilets

THANE: The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has undertaken a massive drive to construct toilet blocks in the slum pockets.

A proposal to set up nearly 2,000 toilet seats at a cost Rs 12 crore will be tabled before the next general body (GB). The project will be completed in two years. The civic body has an abysmal toilet seat per population ratio of 1:43.

The city slum pockets currently have some 10,000 seats, while the civic body plans to take the number to a 20,000 mark in the next five years. Once the proposal is cleared, work orders will be issued at the earliest, said officials. "Slum population is growing rapidly in Thane, but at the same time the infrastructure is not keeping pace with the same. We need to improve our services for the urban poor," said an official of the civic city engineering department.

There are 252 slum pockets in Thane, which house roughly around 9.8 lakh inhabitants or over 55% of the total population. But basic facilities have been lacking for about 2.45 hutments in these pockets.

The TMC has been undertaking slum development programmes under the Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP) schemes. Under this scheme, the TMC has provided 10,359 toilet units so far. Between 2002 to 2005, the civic body has constructed 2.68 lakh square kilometer of pathways, 49,591 gutters, 283 toilet seats, and water lines.