Don’t be lax about construction, upkeep of public toilets

Photo for representational purpose

A 28-year-old man was injured after a public toilet collapsed in the western suburb of Poisar, a report said in this paper. Three people were also rescued.

The walls and roof of the toilet, located at a chawl in Kamlesh Compound on Bihari Tekdi Road, crashed but locals came to their rescue. The injured person is stable in the hospital.

This is disappointing considering that we are at a stage where there is a real push to build public toilets. Some time ago, this edit space had highlighted a very big public toilet block opening in the city for the people. It had said that it cannot be a one way street, the administration had built the toilet block but it is also the responsibility of the people to maintain the infrastructure.

We have to see repairs done on time and good quality at inception itself. There have been unfortunate incidents where people have lost lives as toilet block walls or roofs have crashed on them. This time, those who escaped unscathed may consider themselves lucky.

However, if these collapses become more frequent, the entire purpose which is to be more hygienic and avoid open defecation will be lost as people will lose faith in these public toilets and make the outdoors an open toilet once again. All the education and awareness will be in vain as people will not want to risk life and limb by using these toilets.

It is important to see why this block collapsed and ensure that all that we build stands up to the highest measure of safety and security. Currently, the debris too, must be cleared quickly, not allowed to pile there for ages, till somebody is told to clean it up. Make it to the best of one's ability and stellar quality. If there has been mismanagement or any negligence, find out and punish the culprits or ensure there is no repeat.