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Sulabh not to run MCD toilets

NEW DELHI: Sulabh International, which operates public toilets across the country, has refused to take up any work offered by the MCD for the maintenance of public toilets in the Capital in view of upcoming Games.

This comes in the wake of recent allegations levelled against it by MCD Leader of Opposition J.K. Sharma of trying to make a “backdoor entry” into the civic body for acquiring the work of maintenance of public toilets. While criticising the BJP-ruled MCD for not constructing adequate public toilet facilities, Mr. Sharma had alleged that the party was trying to handover the existing toilets to the “blacklisted firms” such as Sulabh International.

Refuting all charges, NGO founder Bindeshwar Pathak said: “All these charges are baseless. Neither the civic body officials have asked us to maintain their public toilets nor have we approached them for the same. Following our last experience with them and their unprofessional attitude, we are not keen on working for the MCD and we are not going to enter into any controversy by taking over the MCD's public toilets.”

He further said: “The cleaning of toilets is a social commitment, but the MCD seems to be disinterested in it and wants to earn profit out of this business. The civic body had wrongly blacklisted us a few years ago for corruption in building of hundreds of toilets across Delhi, but it subsequently failed to substantiate its charges before the Delhi High Court and furnish any evidence against us regarding their allegations. We were needlessly targeted by the MCD.”

Mr. Pathak said MCD had constructed over 1,900 public toilets which they “failed to maintain” and later handed them over to Sulabh International for a consideration of Rs.5 crore in 2005. “We were asked to repair these toilets but were never paid and then they levelled corruption charges against us.”

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