Dusib to maintain 620 toilets in slums

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (Dusib) has decided to maintain around 620 toilet complexes in the slum clusters through private agencies. A senior officer said that  tenders have been floated and toilet maintenance agencies will be appointed by June this year.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal chaired the Dusib board meeting, which had in January waived user charges in its toilets. "At present, more than 10 lakh people are using around 620 toilet complexes that comprises of 19,000 seats in jhuggi-jhopri (JJ) clusters of Delhi," the official said.

"The rationale behind the move is to ensure better cleanliness, maintenance, monitoring of toilet complexes, besides availability of round-the-clock facility," he added.

The official said 620 toilet complexes will be divided into clusters to be maintained by around two to three private agencies. Another officer said that the Dusib will pay these agencies for their services. "We hope that maintenance agencies will be appointed by June,” he added.

There are around 680 JJ clusters in the capital, where the Dusib has constructed toilet complexes for people living there. There are three types of toilets in Delhi — individual, community and public toilets.

In its report tabled in the Delhi Assembly, CAG had said not a single toilet was constructed since the inception of Swachh Bharat Mission two-and-half years ago, with funds to the tune of Rs 40.31 crore for this purpose lying “idle”. The AAP government didn’t allocate the funds to agencies as per their requirements.