Dinesh Kamath's news 'More public toilets to be constructed in Navi Mumbai?' that was published in Newsband

More public toilets to be constructed in Navi Mumbai?

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: There are chances of more public toilets getting constructed in Navi Mumbai. There was a time when Mayor of Navi Mumbai Sagar Naik was very keen to see to it that more public toilets came up in the city for the benefit of many city residents who feel deprived of proper toilets close-by.

Navi Mumbai is developing rapidly and so also the population is constantly on the rise. This makes it necessary for the city authorities to construct more public toilets to cater to the needs of the rising population.

It is not enough just to construct public toilets. These toilets should be properly maintained too so that they can be used by even decent people. Some people are of the opinion that these public toilets are meant only for hutment dwellers or those residing on the footpaths. They are not aware of the fact that sometimes the people residing in the air-conditioned homes also find the need of such toilets.

There are many factories, industries and offices located in Navi Mumbai and hence many people from Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and other areas find the need to visit Navi Mumbai for work. The number of such people visiting Navi Mumbai has risen considerably with time. With the rising number of visitors to the city, hawkers too have increased in number. There is a rise in number of hawkers to cater to the needs of the rising population and rising number of people who visit the city for some work or the other. Now it is the responsibility of the city authorities to see to it that these visitors and hawkers are provided with proper sanitation facilities. If the civic sense has to prevail in the city, there is an urgent need of more toilets for the benefit of these hawkers and visitors. Constructing public toilets requires as much priority as improving the condition of roads and sewerage system and providing of other civic amenities.

There is no doubt about the fact that Navi Mumbai has become a major business hub in Maharashtra. People not only from neighbourhood but also from other states find the need to visit the region for business purpose. This factor and to prevent defecating by certain elements in public places it is extremely necessary for the city authorities to provide enough public toilets to both the residents and visitors in the city.

Santosh Iyer, the resident of Nerul, says, “Our local leaders do make promises of coming up with public toilets and other facilities which are urgently required. But it is only when elections come close that they begin to implement their promises. I wish our politicians did their duties with the intention of making the lives of city residents more comfortable rather than just for garnering votes. They should not do some things just to appease the voters. They should have that will to improve the conditions in the society whether they are in power or not.”

There have been news circulated that there will be more public toilets coming up in the city and if this is true then many among those residing in the hutment colonies and footpaths and also the constant visitors in this city will experience a kind of relief.