TAN MAN INTERNATIONAL

‘U’ TURN BY MCGM

As per the MCGM survey data of 2001 Mumbai has 4500 public toilets of which approximately 70% are for men and rest for women. The MCGM will undertake a survey to analyze the need of new public toilets at new locations.

Though the survey will initially be undertaken by ward-level officials in each area, all the data will later be mapped out using geographic information system (GIS).The 2001 MCGM survey also revealed that 64,000 new toilet seats were required in the city.

Feb 2013 - Rajiv Jalota , Addl. Municipal Commissioner MCGM.

‘U’ TURN BY MCGM

DRASTICALLY DOWNSIZES CAPACITY OF ITS OWN PUBLIC TOILET & EXCLUDES FACILITIES FOR WOMEN IN MULUND.

As Mumbai struggles to accommodate the ever increasing population and the MCGM agreeing to the fact that providing public amenities and new utilities is becoming difficult by the day, it is surprising that the MCGM T ward administration does not share the sentiment as it has agreed to give away its own bigger unisex public utility toilet with washroom facility exclusively for women for a smallest possible one.

The MCGM managed public utility pay & use toilet located at Narmadadevi Pada Co-op. Hsg Soc. Ltd, Dr.R.P.Road, Mulund West, was demolished after the developer, M/s. Choice Enterprises, executing a redevelopment project in the area agreed to reconstruct a new utility toilet, at the same location, with similar capacity and then donate it to the MCGM free of cost. The MCGM would then appoint an NGO which will further operate the MCGM public toilet on Pay & use basis.

The T ward MCGM administration instead of retaining the original, 9(men /women toilet blocks) + 3(men urinal) +2(bathrooms), capacity public utility structure; downsized it to 5(men /women toilet block) +2 (men urinal) instead and totally excluded the 2 washrooms primarily meant for women. Shockingly it further proposed the reduction of the public utility to 2(men toilet block) +2 (men urinal) structure and sent across the revised proposal to the Chief Engineer of the Solid Waste Management department (SWM) of the MCGM. Reportedly, the location of the utility is also being changed in order to accommodate it into the layout to suit the new redevelopment thus making it inaccessible to general public.

While justifying the move to reduce capacity of the Public Utility, the T Ward administration cited temporary relocation of the local residents of Narmadadevi Pada Co-op. Hsg Soc. Ltd, as one of the reasons, while ignoring the fact that the Public Utility Toilet ‘was also’ catering the needs of the local residents and was ‘not exclusively’meant ‘only’ for the locals there. There are 3 girl schools nearby (Gyansarita, Navbharat & Kanyashala) parents coming to take their children from school, mostly women, used the facility. The next public toilet is located is far away from this location amidst industrial area not suitable to be used by women. Shopkeepers and their women staffs around the vicinity also used it as along with hundreds of commuters and general public utilized its services. Therefore it is surprising that T ward administration is ignorant about these facts and projected the utility to be useless in future..!!

 A existing MCGM utility project , for which the MCGM neither has to look for a new land, nor has to invest, or look after its maintenance in the near future, thus having no liability, and is still giving away its own bigger utility and settling for a smallest possible bargain is really bewildering. Instead it could have ideally compelled the developer to develop the public toilet into a star rated public toilet with additional seats and exclusive facilities for women, as provided by the MCGM at some select locations in the city.

In stark contrast to the MCGM claims that “there is an urgent need to secure green spaces and retain and upgrade public utilities”; the MCGM administration seems to be generously giving away it’s rightfully owned utilities for reasons best known to them. What is the reason behind the MCGM ‘Generosity’ is matter of concern and investigation; but similar generosity may be sought by others citing ‘this very case’ as an example thus leaving no utilities for the general public.

Rajesh Ingle secretary of mumbai north east district congress committee, who has reported the misdoings of the T ward MCGM to the to the concerned MCGM higher authorities and alleged that the Local MCGM & Developer have conspired together and manipulated the MCGM mechanism to review and delay the execution of the original public toilet project for facilitating vested interests and demanded that the toilet should be retained in its original capacity with exclusive facilities for women.

Concerned MCGM Officials

MR. RAJIV JALOTA  9867178552

Addl. Commissioner MCGM

MR. AKASH KADAM  9820702520

Chief Engineer SWM, MCGM

MR. YAMGAR  9920795506

Dy. Chief Engineer, SWM, Eastern Suburbs, MCGM

MRS. CHANDA JADHAV  9167203780

Asst. Municipal Commissioner, T Ward, MCGM

Documentation Related to above subject and fotos are attached herewith

For further details contact–

RAJESH INGLE- 9224513111

(Secretary, Mumbai North East District Congress Committee)