With few public toilets, people turn subways into urinals

BBMP to soon float tenders for constructing 500 toilets

The acute shortage of public toilets in the City has cast a doom on the pedestrian subways as people have turned them into urinals.

The pedestrian subways in the City are in a pathetic condition with people urinating and spitting there. The BBMP has apparently turned a blind eye to the issue despite public complaints that the subways have been in a bad state for years.

“These subways have never been maintained. They stink as people urinate there. We would rather wait for the red signal at the zebra crossing than use the subway,” said Priyanka N, a student of Sophia’s High School situated near the Basava Samithi subway.

Another subway poorly maintained is the one located near the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. As Naseeruddin, an autorickshaw driver explains, “You can smell the stink of the urine a few meters outside the underpass, nobody even thinks of using them. There are very few toilets in this area, so I guess people are left with no option.”

Subways at Krishnarajendra Market, Nrupathunga Road and Central College campus are no better. Not only suffering from poor hygiene, many have deteriorating superstructure. The false ceiling of the subway at Basava Samithi and the City railway station have been crumbling and gradually, garbage within, has been accumulating.

Security guards

Somashekar, Chief Engineer (Projects), BBMP, claimed that to provide security and prevent illegal activities, the Palike had planned to deploy guards at these subways. Guards would also lock the subways after a specified time. Yet, none of the subways visited by Deccan Herald, except the one at Nrupathunga Road, had security personnel.

Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy said that the BBMP was aware of the shabbily maintained subways. “A security personnel needs to be provided at all the subways to prevent such activities. Regular cleaning should also be conducted. We had discussed the issue but nothing materialised. I had also asked the officials to shut down those subways which are not in use so that they cannot be misused,” he said. A decision on the subways would be taken very soon, he added.

The Mayor admitted that people relieving themselves in the subways underscores the need for more number of toilets at different locations in the City.

“The BBMP has identified 500 spots to construct new toilets and tenders will be floated soon,” he said.

The Palike was compelled to remove most of the kiosks at bus stands as people had turned them into public toilets.