THE BRIHANMUMBAI Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) plan to set up ‘Toilet on Wheels’ for women by transforming scrapped buses is set to see the light of the day, as the civic body will be setting up one such toilet at Byculla in South Mumbai, later this month.
These motorable toilets will be known as ‘Mahilasathi Swacchatagruha’ or Pink Utility centers. BMC officials said that these facilities will be made by refurbishing scrapped buses that have gone off the roads.
The scrapped buses are being acquired by the BMC under the Corporate Social Responsibility scheme and will be painted pink.
Sangeeta Hasnale, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Zone-1 in the BMC said that the first utility center will be set up adjoining the Byculla station by the end of November on a pilot basis and after recording the response, the number of such utility centers will be augmented across various parts of the city.
“The primary objective is to provide hygienic toilets for women, which is a basic necessity in an urban space. In Mumbai, there is also a shortage of space, therefore we will be using old scrapped buses for this project,” Hasnale told The Indian Express.
This center will be like a public toilet with additional features like changing rooms, washing machines, vending machines for female hygiene products, a specialized compartment for breastfeeding and WiFi. Each compartment will also have panic buttons for emergency requirements.
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