GCC council meet: Members air toilet woes, poor hygiene

CHENNAI: Several councillors raised strong concerns over poor hygiene and delays in constructing public toilets during the council meeting on Thursday.

Ward 170 councillor KR Kathirmurugan said work on a modular public toilet on Ponniyamman Kovil Street, executed through the Special Projects Department, was halted midway, causing severe hardship to women and senior citizens. Of the five public toilets in his area, one was demolished for reconstruction, while the remaining four lack basic amenities and maintenance, he said.

The Mayor replied that structural components are being assembled using a crane, and the delay occurred due to a temporary hold on payments to the contractor. She stated that work has now been ordered to resume and the facility will open by the second week of November under the supervision of the Regional Deputy Commissioner (RDC).

Ward 99 DMK councillor Parithi Ilamsuruthi questioned why new toilets have not been built at Pullapuram and Shastri Nagar after the existing ones, used for over 30 years, were demolished three months ago. He noted that no progress had taken place despite the Mayor promising swift action two months ago.

The Mayor responded that in the Anna Nagar zone, the project was assigned to M/s PTC Urban PCD3 Pvt Ltd under a Build-Maintain-Transfer model. She explained that residents in Pullapuram raised objections, while the Shastri Nagar proposal was dropped following public requests. She added that the works would be completed by the end of November and the Central RDC would conduct a fresh joint inspection along with the councillor.

Meanwhile, another councillor, Ambethvalavan, alleged that toilets on New Farrance Road and Alexander Road were demolished unnecessarily and never rebuilt. He pointed out that work on the Gandhi Nagar toilet has been pending for over four and a half years.

GCC Commissioner GS Sameeran said officials, along with the councillor, would conduct a site inspection shortly.