BMRCL withdraws toilet charges after public pushback

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has decided to roll back its decision to levy toilet charges after public pushback.

User fees had been set at Rs 2 for using the urinal and Rs 5 for the toilet at 12 stations — National College, Lalbagh, South End Circle, Jayanagar, RV Road, Banashankari, JP Nagar, and Yelachenahalli, all on the Green Line; and Central College, Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Park and KSR Railway Station on the Purple Line.

This was part of an agreement the BMRCL had signed with Sulabh International, a private organisation, on May 7 to outsource the maintenance of toilets located outside the ticketed areas of these stations for five years.

A group of citizens staged a protest outside the Vidhana Soudha metro station on Monday, demanding the rollback of the toilet user fee.

The BMRCL reversed its decision to impose the fee on Tuesday. An official confirmed this, saying the charges would not be collected and that the toilets are open to the public free of cost.