BMC installs ‘rating’ machines outside public toilets to get feedback on cleanliness

In a first of its kind initiative, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has installed ‘rating’ machines outside public toilets in Mumbai to encourage people to leave feedback about the lavatory’s cleanliness.

According to a civic official, the BMC started installing rating machines with an objective to maintain cleanliness at public toilets across the metropolis.

The machines have three buttons – green, yellow and red – which the toiler users can press to register their opinion about hygiene level existing there, he said.

People can press the green button to denote that the toilet is clean, yellow if it’s OK and red in case it is unclean.

“Initially, we have installed these rating machines at 50 pay and use toilets at different locations across the city. The remaining toilets will be covered soon,” said Assistant Municipal Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Kiran Dighavkar.

The civic body had handed over the maintenance of many of these toilets to various private operators and communities. But over time, the BMC has been inundated with complaints about unhygienic conditions prevailing at these public conveniences.

If a majority of people hit the red button at a particular toilet, we will take over the right of maintenance from the existing operator and hand it over to someone else, Dighavkar said.

The rating process would be monitored by the civic staff.

“There is a possibility an operator, instead of an user, would press the green button to escape scrutiny. This is why we are going to keep a close watch on the red button and even if it is pressed by only a few people, we will move to take necessary action,” he said.

Dighavkar added that the installation cost of each rating machine is Rs 6,000 which is being borne by the civic body.