Government will clean up its act by modernising Mantralaya loos

While the Mantralaya may have a lot to clean up in terms of the politics practised inside, the state government is focusing on cleaning toilets, to begin with

While the politics practised within the hallowed halls of the Mantralaya, the state government's headquarters, is debatable, the Democratic Front government has started a clean up drive right at the bottom, as it were.
The toilets in the building need greater attention due to large number of visitors that walk the hallways of Mantralaya.u00a0


The Mantralaya Sanitation and Monitoring Committee comprising of high
profile officials will work on a modernisa-tion plan for Mantralayatoilets.
Pic/Rane Ashish

Taking cognisance of the sordid state of affairs, Chief Secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad issued a circular on the cleanliness of the toilets in Mantralaya, the New Administrative Building opposite the Mantralaya, and the barracks nearby where allied offices of the government are situated, last week.

The circular stated that a high level committee called the Mantralaya Sanitation and Monitoring Committee has been appointed to look into the modernisation and maintenance of the toilets.u00a0The committee will headed by Principal Secretary Malini Shankar of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department and includes other officials such as Secretary, PWD and Environment; Deputy Secretaries from the Water Supply and Sanitation Department; and Deputy Secretary from General Administration Department, among others.

The committee is expected to look into the upkeep of the bathrooms, and suggest effective means of sewage and solid waste disposal. The committee will conduct a survey within a few days across all departments asking officials to fill up a questionnaire.

Questions include: Is the toilet in your department clean with unbroken taps? Is there enough water available? Is the toilet cleaned daily? Is the drainage system working? Is the lighting enough? Are water and electricity available after 7 pm and on holidays? The committee has also been asked to create a special cell, where officials can register their complaints about the state of the bathrooms.

At present, a private agency looks after the toilets, for an annual payment of Rs 1 crore. A Pune-based BVG India Limited was assigned the job in 2005. At the time, the move to outsource the cleaning of the Mantralaya's toilets met with opposition from the workers' union, who felt that the jobs of liftmen, gardeners, sweepers and peons could face potential threat.

BVG India was hired on a one-year contract for a fee of Rs 80 lakh. According to Hanmant Gaikwad, Chairman and Managing Director of BVG India, the company carried out the cleaning using bio-degradable chemicals that are cost-effective.u00a0

However, a PWD officer told Sunday MiD DAY on the condition of anonymity that complaints over dirty bathrooms were made repeatedly, forcing the government to levy a fine of Rs 11 lakh on BVG India, earlier this year.

In 2005, MiD DAY had reported that BVG India Ltd also provides similar services in Parliament and many other corporations (Rs 80 lakh to clean Mantralaya loos! December 27, 2005). The government has been renewing the contract of the firm since 2005.

Mantralaya officials will be asked:
> Is the toilet in your department clean with unbroken taps?
> Is there enough water available?
> Is the toilet cleaned daily?
> Is the drainage system working?
> Is the lighting enough?
> Are water and electricity available after 7 pm and on holidays?u00a0

170 Number of toilets at Mantralaya

80 Toilets for VIPS (Ministers, secretaries etc)