New Delhi: Despite New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) intensifying its cleanliness and spruce-up drives ahead of the upcoming BRICS Summit, complaints about poorly maintained public and community toilets in Lutyens’ Delhi continue to surface.Several users on social media have flagged the condition of such toilets at prominent locations, prompting NDMC chairman Manoj Dwivedi to direct officials to take action. “The situation of many public and community toilets in NDMC area is not satisfactory… needs lots of improvements. Will take time to deal with this, but it will be done. Have already started working on this to put a system in place,” he posted Sunday in response to the complaints on X.Highlighting the “pathetic state” of toilets outside Nehru Park, a social media user called for housekeeping staff to maintain them. NDMC subsequently shared on social media photographs of action taken at the site.Another user flagged the poor condition of toilets in Palika Bazaar parking area. Baljit Kohli of Palika Bazaar Shopkeepers Welfare Association said only 11 staff members are engaged by the concessionaire to maintain eight toilets, clean the market and lift garbage. “Till two years ago, 23 people were engaged for this job, considering the huge footfall. These toilets stink so badly that one can’t think of using them,” he said.A complainant flagged the condition of a public toilet at Imtiaz Khan Marg, referring to the area as an important VIP residential zone, and alleging that garbage, poorly maintained public toilets and accumulated filth were visible at several locations, including Mahadev Road and surrounding areas.NDMC later shared the condition of the cleaned premises after the chairperson took cognisance of the matter. However, TOI visited the facility and found garbage was still dumped outside the premises of the toilet complex.NDMC has 364 public and community toilet complexes in its area. Of these, 223 have been allotted to private concessionaires for upkeep, while the remaining facilities are maintained by NDMC staff.An NDMC official said, “Concessionaires are required to follow guidelines regarding deployment of staff, and action can be taken in case of lapses. However, high footfall at these facilities can affect maintenance.”The official also said NDMC is preparing to outsource the upkeep of the remaining toilet complexes. “To make sure their upkeep is not being compromised, we are in the process of issuing a tender for them and engaging a concessionaire soon.”However, there is no clarity over who is responsible for repairing damaged walls and stairs outside the toilet complexes, and for lifting garbage outside them.
