In 4 years, most ‘She Toilets’ now defunct across Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: ‘She Toilets’, which were set up across the city exclusively for women about 4 years ago with much fanfare, are now either defunct or inaccessible. The effort has been flushed out and the money gone down the drain as residents allege that civic authorities have done little for their upkeep.
Developed on a public-private-partnership model, each unit of ‘She Toilets’ cost Rs 7.3 lakh with two seats, eco-friendly lighting and flushing, and an improvised septic tank.It could be accessed by inserting Re1 or Rs 2 or Rs 5 coins. But in most areas now they are either locked up or do not function.
“Lack of access to clean public toilets is a major challenge for women. When these ‘She Toilets’ were installed, I had thought we would no longer have to face the troubles of the usual public toilets that lack basic facilities for women. But that hope didn’t last long. The ‘She Toilet’ near Tolichowki has been locked up for a while now,” said G Manjula, a vegetable vendor who sits in the market from 6am to 7pm.
While in Film Nagar, Shaikpet, Yousufguda and Kalyan Nagar, the local vendors running eateries attached to these ‘She Toilets’ said most were shut due to lack of water or technical glitches.
“The last time I inserted a Rs 5 coin, but the machine didn’t respond. A local vendor said it was not working due to lack of water,” said Fatima Hussain from Film Nagar.
Even those set up near tourist places such as Charminar and Golconda remain dysfunctional.
SN Surya Kumar, GHMC deputy commissioner for Charminar zone, said, “They have stopped working due to some technical issue, but it will be fixed soon. There is no issue of water supply here.”