Cop sets up toilet-on-wheels raising Rs 2 lakh through crowdfunding

The challenges faced by his mother to access a toilet inspired a police sub-inspector (PSI) to set up a toilet-on-wheels at Goraguntepalya.

Functioning with 12 stalls — five each for men and women and two for gender-neutral people — the toilet-on-wheels moves around in the area for a few kilometres as per the requirement.

“The issue of toilets in our country is something that has always been on my mind,” PSI Shanthappa Jademmanavar at the Vidhana Soudha police station said.

“A few months ago, when I travelled with my mother to Ballari, I saw how difficult it was for her to access a toilet. This is not an issue unique to her. All our mothers, sisters and daughters suffer the same way, and it spurred me to do something,” Jademmanavar added.

He started a Twitter campaign that reached its 100th day on June 14. He did not receive a response although the Twitter handles had been otherwise active, he said.

Joining hands with like-minded people, he started a crowdfunding campaign and raised Rs 2 lakh to contract the mobile toilet for six months. Jademmanavar also took permission from the Bengaluru Traffic Police saying the mobile toilet would not disrupt traffic.

Unlike many public toilets in the city, the mobile toilet is not pay-and-use. “We will maintain it through voluntary funding as long as we can. I don’t think we should charge a fee for something that is a matter of human rights,” he said.

‘Dirty and lowly’

He faced opposition from those who thought the project was dirty and lowly. “This stigma is what forces people, especially women, to stay quiet about this basic need. Most women are not comfortable asking openly for space to attend to nature’s call, and when the facilities are not available, they suffer,” he said.

Jademmanavar said the toilet is also meant to draw the attention of authorities responsible for sanitation and public service. “This cannot be a permanent solution after all, and it is the authorities who must take appropriate steps.”