New Delhi, March 12
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will soon float tenders for the repair, operation and maintenance of community toilet complexes taken back from Sulabh International. MCD officials recently carried out a survey of the 1,544 toilets that were being run by Sulabh. They found that only 1,250 of these were required. Also, 474 required major repairs and 767 required minor repairs. The repair and maintenance of these toilets will be handed over to private parties for seven years on the build, operate and transfer basis, MCD Standing Committee chairman Vijender Gupta has said. Advertisements will be permitted on these complexes so that the private party can earn revenue. The MCD had given the maintenance of toilets in Delhi to Sulabh International for a period of 30 years in 2004, but there were "complaints" that the company neglected toilets in areas with low advertisement potential. As a result, all toilets were taken back from Sulabh in 2006 and they are currently being managed by MCD Safai Karmacharis.
