Relieving oneself in
times of an emergency is the most demanding challenge for any resident of Shillong outside his home since the capital city does not have provisions for public toilets in important parts of the city.
The lack of good and clean public toilet in the capital city is the need of the hour as people are often found to relieve themselves on the road side in full public view much to the displeasure of ladies and kids.
It is a noble idea to have public toilets especially in parking lots but the greater demand is for hygienic public toilets in prominent places of the city.
Lack of public toilets along the highway is also a major cause of concern for the commuters especially those who travel on the Shillong-Guwahati highway. These commuters have the option of either relieving themselves along the highway or wait till their vehicle reaches Nongpoh, where the line hotels and eateries located there have set up toilet facilities for the commuters, even though these are well below hygienic norms.
Ladies are the worst sufferers whether it is in the city or the highway. There are only two public toilets inside the MUDA parking lot in Police Bazar and one more public toilet is situated on the way to Umsohsun. However this toilet does not have separate facility for ladies and gents.
“It is pathetic that men are forced to wait outside when ladies attend this public toilet,” a resident lamented.
Local residents are of the opinion that there should be large number of makeshift toilets in different parts of the city which could be set up by roping in organisations like the Sulabh International to construct and manage these public toilets, as was being done in other parts of the country.
However, as is the case with many other projects, certain local groups are against bringing in these ‘outside’ organizations into the State. These groups are in favour of engaging local people for any project in the city and the State.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Urban Affairs Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh expressed concern over the lack of public toilets in the city.
She, however, added that her department had recently sanctioned Rs 6.4 lakh for construction of a public toilet with six units in Keating Road area of the city.