KRISHNAGIRI: Over 30 families of Kamarajar Nagar in Shoolagiri on Tuesday urged the district administration to construct toilets for them. The families are forced to relieve themselves in the open area close to the Chennai --Bengaluru National Highway. Women are forced to pay Rs 5 to use toilets in the bus stands and markets in the area.
Kamarajar Nagar houses around 100 families and most of them belong to Scheduled Caste communities.
M Suresh (30), a resident, said, "My family of five uses the public toilet at Shoolagiri Bus Stand and we spend Rs 25 a day. I approached local authorities seeking to construct an Individual Household Latrine (IHHL) but many people don't have the space for the toilet. Authorities must take steps to construct the IHHL or a sanitation complex."
Echoing him, another resident, A Ekambaram (53) said women use public toilets at the vegetable market, where they have to pay Rs 5. "We currently have one bathroom facility in the area and that will be soon demolished by the panchayat to make way for sewer channel," Ekambaram added.
Private individuals collect money from public using the sanitation complex in the bus stand as no contractor has been fixed. Valli, a sanitary worker at the public toilet, said money was collected for maintenance.
Shoolagiri Block Development Officer M Subramani said, he would check the matter. Further, he advised residents to submit a petition on Wednesday to construct a public toilet or IHHL or convert pay-and-use toilets to free ones. Shoolagiri panchayat president R Kalaiselvi said she was unaware of the issue but said she would take action against people collecting money for using public toilet in the vegetable market.