Acid Use Ban: Following the intervention of the Delhi Commission for Women, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has recently issued an order banning the use of acid for cleaning public toilets. On April 6, the Women’s Commission inspected a women’s toilet of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in front of Gate No. 8 of GB Pant Hospital in Daryaganj and found a 50-liter box filled with acid in the open inside the toilet.
On enquiry, the Commission was informed on behalf of the cleaning staff as well as an employee of the Shri Ram Gramin Vikas Sansthan (which has been given the contract for maintenance and operation of the MCD toilet complex) that they were responsible for cleaning the toilets. Buy acid every month.
The Women’s Commission was surprised
The Women’s Commission was surprised to find such a large amount of acid in the open in the toilet of the Municipal Corporation. This is illegal and extremely dangerous as anyone could easily take this acid and use it for acid attack. The Women’s Commission immediately got the Delhi Police to confiscate the acid and issued summons to the officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to explain the presence of acid in the toilets.
Senior officials of the city zone appeared before the commission and gave a written reply, stating that no guidelines have been issued to stop the use of acid for cleaning toilets. He also informed that the cleaning of toilets (by the agency) is done as per the terms and conditions imposed on them in the MCD agreement. In addition, he provided a copy of the contract agreement between the MCD and the agency (Shri Ram Gramin Vikas Sansthan) for the maintenance and operation of the toilets.
The commission took up the matter with the MCD and issued a notice to the Municipal Commissioner of Delhi seeking an explanation and action taken report in the matter. Senior officials of the MCD appeared before the Commission on May 16 in the matter and informed that currently 308 community toilets/public toilets have been outsourced to private agencies who have similar contracts with the MCD, stating that weekly Municipal Corporation of Delhi agency can be fined Rs 1000 per day for not using acid for cleaning toilets properly.
Promotion given for cleaning toilets
On enquiry, it was found that the contract document, approved by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation House in 2017, clearly promoted the use of acid for cleaning toilets. Swati Maliwal, chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, expressed displeasure over the current situation where the MCD was instructed to use acid illegally to clean 308 public toilets.
On the instructions of the commission, the MCD officials issued a new order on 18.05.2023. Wherein it is stated that the said provision of the contract (which encourages use of acid) stands repealed and if any person is found using/storing acid in toilets, action will be taken against the agency as per law. Will go
Swati Maliwal intervened
In this matter, Delhi Women’s Commission Chairperson Swati Maliwal said that we found a large amount of acid in the toilet of MCD. Initially, we thought it was an illegal act of a private agency running toilets on behalf of the MCD. However, our inquiry in this matter has opened a Pandora’s box. Our investigation revealed that in 2017, the elected representatives of North MCD passed a resolution approving contracts with private agencies to operate 308 public toilets.
In which it was mandatory for them to use acid to clean the toilets on a weekly basis, otherwise they would have to pay a heavy fine. On this, Swati Maliwal said that how can the MCD, which itself is a government body, promote the use of acid? This is shocking and illegal. Swati Maliwal said that after the intervention of the Delhi Commission for Women, the MCD has finally taken corrective steps and has banned the use of acid in its public toilets.
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