Hubballi: At Shiggaon bus stand, be prepared to shell out Rs 7 to use the urinal, though there’s no board which mentions this fee should be paid. If you’re a woman at the Old Bus Stand in Hubballi , you need to pay Rs 3 to use the urinal, though the NWKRTC’s board says it’s a free facility.Unprescribed fee collection is rampant everywhere under NWKRTC which has eight divisions in north Karnataka. Officials have not ensured charts at toilets which has become a way for contractors to collect fees at their whim and fancy.Rajashekhar J M, an RTI activist in Ranebennur, said though the urinals are not clean, contractors collect more than the fee agreed upon in the contract. “When we complain, officials pretend to take note of it, but the situation is back to square one after a week. Passengers don’t go there and urinate outside the toilets. Negligence of officials and contractors is making the bus stands very filthy,” he added.Sujata Dindur, a traveller from Hubballi, said she visited the toilet at Shiggaon bus stand recently. “The staff collected Rs 7. When we checked the price board, nowhere was it mentioned. My complaints went in vain as the traffic controller expressed his helplessness,” she said.Naveen Gurusangappa, a BCA student in Gajendragad, said there was not a drop of water at the toilet in Gajendragad bus stand. “The state of toilets is in bad shape but we need to pay Rs 5 to use it,” he added.Mayur Patil, a frequent traveller in north Karnataka, said NWKRTC hardly checks the status of toilets. “When we ask personnel at toilets, they say the fee prescribed by NWKRTC is insufficient and that’s why they collect an additional fee,” he said.The NWKRTC zonal office in Hubballi is helpless on toilet maintenance. “Divisional controllers are enforcing officers and they prescribe a fee at the divisional level. Of course, the fee differs from district to taluk-level bus stands,” said an official.Will take actionWhen contacted, Basavaraj Belagavi, divisional controller, NWKRTC Haveri division, said he’s not aware about the fee prescribed for taluk bus stands. When his attention was drawn to the situation at Shiggaon bus stand, he admitted he’s completely unaware about the issue as he took charge just a month ago. “However, I’ll check and take appropriate action soon,” he said.

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