Around 10 days ago, when Siddhapudur resident S. Manohara Manivannan
went to use the newly constructed public convenience facility next to
the Gandhipuram town bus stand on Nanjappa Road, he was asked to pay Rs.
5.

While exiting, when he questioned the person who collected the
‘fee’, he was told that it was a mistake to have collected Rs. 5 and
that it was only Rs. 4. Thereafter when he demanded a receipt/token, a
second person appeared and handed over a receipt.

A month or so
earlier, when the family of a Coimbatore Corporation health wing
employee went to the toilet, they too were asked to cough up money.

The
Corporation, however, maintains that the facility is free. If
complaints are brought to its notice, it will not hesitate to initiate
action against the contractor.

But the story does not end there.
Consumer activists say the Corporation has turned a public convenience
facility into a revenue spinning machinery, for it collects money from
not only public but also from contractor by way of letting out the
premises for advertisement.

Coimbatore Consumer Cause’s secretary
K. Kathirmathiyon wants to know if the Corporation is so poor to
maintain the toilet that it wants to collect from the public by way of
user charges and contractor by way of advertisement revenue.

Incidentally,
the Corporation rebuilt the toilet with funds at Rs. 50 lakh that came
from the Central Government under the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Corporation
officials, citing the Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines, say the civic
body is permitted to generate revenue by way of advertisements.

The
guidelines say, “…ULBs (urban local bodies) may also identify land
for public toilets and leverage this land and advertisements to
encourage the private sector to construct and manage public toilets
through PPP agreement.”

But with the Corporation constructing the
toilet with government funds, it has no business generating revenue by
way of advertisement. And even if it has to, the advertisement has to
confirm to norms. In this case, it has not, Mr. Karthirmathiyon alleges.

He
adds that if the Corporation is sincere about clean Coimbatore, it
should have displayed Swachh Bharat message on the hoarding as its
vantage location will reach more people.

However, the Corporation
officials maintain that the advertisement is to generate revenue for the
toilet maintenance and is in compliance to rules.