MARGAO: Shadow Council for Margao has demanded that the government debar Sulabh Souchalayas from charging people for using their urinals. SCM suggested that the huge amount of money being spent on advertising Swachh Bharat programmes be instead used to pay the Sulabh Souchalayas for providing free use of urinals.
In a letter addressed to the Governor who is appointed ambassador for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Shadow Council pointed out that earlier the urinals were free for use and only recently they are being charged and that too at a time when there is a shortage of coins.
SCM convener Savio Coutinho pointed out that the management of the urinals is making huge amount of money by charging the people for using the urinal which works out to nearly Rs 24,000 per month.
While appealing to the Governor to use her good offices to provide free urinals to the public, Savio further pointed out that charging people for using urinals when they are already paying cess for Swachh Bharat is unfair and unnecessary.
Besides, SCM has also pointed to the pitiable condition of most public toilets in Margao especially in the SGPDA market complex where vendors prefer to use the open space despite having toilets in the complex.
As the fortnight long awareness programme did not evoke any response, SCM had to protest by presenting a rose to every person who preferred the open space to the toilet to do its job.
