Mumbaikars can soon expect better sanitary facilities at suburban railway stations, as the Central Railway (CR) has kickstarted a project by awarding rights to build two “deluxe” toilets at Thane railway station.
Similar facility will be extended to other major stations on the CR corridor after gauging the success of the pilot initiative at Thane.
“We have awarded the rights to construct two toilets to Sulabh International, and they have agreed to the terms of the proposal. The new toilets will have modern facilities including sufficient number of washbasins with liquid soap and hand driers. The ventilation and the ambience will be at par with the toilets in malls and multiplexes in the city. We have also requested Sulabh to provide air conditioning, but it’s not mandatory,” said a high-ranking CR officer.
In order to ensure better maintenance of these toilets, the CR said that Sulabh will charge for the use of latrines and urinals. The toilets will be built on a public-private partnership model through corporate funding. “Sulabh will seek corporate funding for constructing the toilets, while we will provide the space. The corporates will be granted advertising rights, while the daily maintenance and operations will be carried out by Sulabh,” the officer added.
The CR has shortlisted platform No. 2 and 10 (A) at Thane station for these toilets. “The Thane concept is a trial for such similar toilets. This will need coordination between the maintenance firm and the corporates. We plan to extend the facility to other major stations where the passenger density is high,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, according to CR sources, allowing a private firm with expertise for the maintenance and operations will ensure clean toilets that are a long pending demand of passengers. The lack of sanitary facilities for passengers at stations has been constant concern, especially for the women commuters.