JOIN USCivic body pushes smart loo project
Smart public toilets, sewage treatment plants, and water ATMs are some projects of the NDMC which will get a major push in the first phase of its ‘smart city’ project.
These projects have already received “in principal” approval of the NDMC at a recent council meeting. The respective Request for Proposals (RFP) will be floated soon.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has to contribute Rs 604.74 crore towards the cost of the project and the rest will be provided by the Union Urban Development Ministry, funds of the centrally sponsored schemes and through Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The civic agency is currently working on a ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’, after which it will receive the funds.
Meanwhile, it has already started rolling out projects which are set to benefit those living in slums the most.
A tender for 105 Public Toilet Utilities (PTUs) had already been floated some time back and is about to close the tender now. Transforming public toilets into a smart public amenity was one of the areas highlighted by the civic body in its smart city proposal.
“There is a need to uplift the underprivileged sections in our jurisdiction and we are starting with water ATMs and smart toilets. These toilets will be operated on a pay and use basis. These will be connected via sensors to one maintenance server at NDMC for regular maintenance,” an NDMC official said.
The official said since maintenance of the existing toilets is a problem area, special attention will be given to this for the new toilets. According to the smart city proposal, there will be “heavy penalty” on the concessionaire if the facilities are not maintained properly.
Similarly, 10 mini sewage treatment plants (STPs) having capacity between 100 to 500 KLD will come up in as many locations to treat waste.
It was also decided to set up 67 water ATMs for providing safe drinking water at a nominal cost at JJ clusters.
“Our only criterion for inviting tenders for water ATMs is the cost. Since we don’t want the public to pay much, so whoever bids the lowest, gets the contract,” the official said.
The projects are on PPP basis and the NDMC hopes to generate revenue by giving the operators space for advertising.