Feel like taking a leak while out? But if you happen to be in Indirapuram, please don't look for a public toilet, locate a mall instead!
Residents of Ghaziabad and visitors to the place are well within their rights to complain about the absence of proper public toilets in this prime residential township. Just high-rises and shopping complexes cannot be the hallmarks of a modern township, feel residents.
"Every time a person needs to answer nature's call, he or she has to desperately search for a shopping complex for a toilet. It becomes very difficult at times. We have to ask people if there is a toilet nearby, and they usually suggest shopping malls. The toilets there are mostly unclean, with broken seats or out-of-order flushes,” complained Sameer Shrivastava, a resident of Gyan Khand 4. He added, “We cannot complain, as these toilets are private property.”
There’s yet another problem — there’s no open space left in the area for the construction of public toilets.
“Almost all of Indirapuram is divided among residential areas, commercial areas and parks, with no space left for further development. In such a situation, even Nagar Nigam will not be able to construct toilets,” said a resident.
Though Indirapuram is spread across 1289.24 acres, GDA officials, too, echoed similar concerns.
There’s a class aspect to the problem as well. Mani Das, a rickshaw puller from a nearby village, speaks of his inhibitions to City Spidey. “We never use the toilets of shopping complexes and malls — it will not be tolerated. If the security guards or the maintenance staff find us, we get an earful — it’s humiliating. I just take to the bushes instead,” he said.
IT professional Saurav Pant, who was visiting Indirapuram, puts forth a pertinent point while drawing a comparison with Delhi. “Despite being densely populated, most commercial spaces and residential areas in Delhi have public toilets, or sulabh sauchalayas. People shouldn’t be looking for malls to take a leak — they are not meant to be public toilets!" he snapped.
Speaking to City Spidey, Ishtiyak Ahmed, chief town planner of GDA, said, “Public toilets are generally constructed in marketplaces and shopping complexes. Indirapuram also has a few toilets, scattered in places such as parks and other areas.”
On the subject, Nidhi Kesarwani, Ghaziabad DM, explained, “Public toilets are part of urban planning and integral to the Swachh Bharat Mission. They will be built once the area is handed over to the municipal corporation. Right now, we are under GDA jurisdiction.”
She added, "However, to sort out issues of location and availability of land, the district administration will coordinate with both GDA and the municipal corporation.”
