Nagpur: Rohit Kumbhare, a professional, once stopped at Ahimsa Square on West High Court road to answer natures call. Though he was hesitant to go inside a public urinal, considering their reputation, Rohit was taken aback by the cleanliness inside. The urinal had running water and was clean. It should serve as a model for other public urinals, said an impressed Kumbhare.TOI did a reality check of existing urinals and toilets.Most of them were found to be in good condition.Stinking, abysmally filthy public toilets are a thing of the past. The public convenience facilities are not just clean, but also have adequate water supply, doors in good condition and are well illuminated.The changeover has come about after the civic body improved its monitoring mechanism. Deputy municipal commissioner (solid waste management) Dr Gajendra Mahalle said that surprise visits to public toilets revealed the lack of proper monitoring, which helped the contractors get away without any punishment. Now, the contractor engaged for cleaning three toilets at the Mahatma Phule Wholesale Vegetable Market clean them twice a day, said Rashid Khan, an employee of the pay and park facility there.Zonal officers and sanitary inspectors were tasked with visiting the toilets at least twice a day. If we find them in bad condition, the contractor is held responsible and our staff is punished too for failing to monitor them, said Dr Mahalle.The transformation is said to have happened mainly due to Swachh Bharat Mission. Cleanliness in public toilets plays a vital role in the city getting a higher ranking, so the civic body consistently monitors maintenance of toilets.Some visitors at Mahatma Phule Market, however, pointed out that the toilets have no water supply in the evening. When asked, NMC officials admitted that they too have received such complaints. This happened because of the irresponsible behaviour of some users who do not close the water taps after use. As a result, the overhead water tank gets empty, an NMC official said.TOI also found a public toilet inside the Regional Transport Office, off Amravati road, closed. Similarly, two urinals for women at Ravi Nagar Square and another one located near Mhada Colony were found closed. Gayatri Shukla, a second-year student from Hislop College, said she rarely finds the toilet open.Besides Sulabh toilets, the NMC manages 370 urinals and 1,053 public toilets. For maintenance, the civic body spends around Rs 2 crore per annum.

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