Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Wednesday inaugurated 30 newly constructed public urinal facilities at various locations across the City.
The facilities have been opened for use by citizens, commuters, vendors and visitors as part of the civic body’s efforts to provide accessible, clean and convenient sanitation services.
Officials said the initiative is part of a larger plan to establish more than 200 public urinal facilities across BMC’s three administrative zones.
The urinals have been strategically set up at high-footfall locations, including Unit-I Market, Rasulgarh Bus Stop, Bapuji Nagar, Baramunda Shiv Mandir, Durga Puja Field, Ganga Nagar Chhak, Raghunath Nagar Auto Stand, Nayapalli Police Station, ID Market, CRPF Traffic Square, Reliance Smart, the BPCL petrol pump at Nayapalli, Priyadarshini Market, Unit VIII Boys’ High School, Khandagiri Bus Stop, Sriya Talkies and N-3 Park.
All the facilities will be available free of cost, with no user fee charged. To ensure convenience and accessibility, they will remain open daily from 6 am to 10 pm.
The BMC has entrusted the operation and maintenance of the facilities to the International Institute of Sulabh System. The civic body will pay the agency Rs 13,500 per toilet every month for deploying staff, cleaning the facilities twice daily, and ensuring proper upkeep and hygiene.
The annual maintenance cost is estimated at Rs 48.6 lakh.
Mayor Sulochana Das said the expansion of public sanitation infrastructure would play a key role in promoting cleanliness, discouraging open urination, improving public health and enhancing the quality of urban life.