Agra: Agra Municipal Corporation’s plan to develop electronic toilet facility at public places in the city has hit a roadblock due to funds crunch. The AMC has already issued tenders in this regard but the high cost of e-toilets is proving to be a hurdle.AMC executive engineer Sanjiv Pradhan said, “A tender was issued but companies have quoted rates much higher than expected. Each unmanned electronic public toilet is costing around Rs 6 lakh. For now, the project to set up e-toilets is on hold. We are working towards making arrangements to get more funds for the project”.Pradhan said, “E-toilets are portable, eco-friendly and hygienically maintained with a GPRS-enabled system. These toilets work on a sensor-based technology. It has a self-cleaning and water conservation mechanism. These are unmanned toilets with automated access control. Waste processing is done through small STPs attached with these toilet. One e-toilet can be developed on a 35 sq foot area.”According to officials, the e-toilets were to be funded under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Now, the AMC proposes to use the funds received under the Smart City project to set up 50 e-toilets. Under SBM, a maximum of Rs 2 crore can be spent on e-toilets.Due to non-availability of government land at marketplaces and old localities in the city, construction of community toilets is a major challenge for the civic body. Their proper maintenance is another issue before the civic body. Due to this, AMC opted to working on a plan to establish e-toilets as these facilities can be developed in lesser space and easily maintained.

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