Rs 2 for urination and Rs 5 for defecation as user charges in 12 Metro stations

Bengaluru: Namma Metro, which was the target of commuters’ anger due to price hike, has now once again caused outrage by public for charging fee on toilet use.

BMRCL has introduced user charges for toilets at its 12 stations in the first phase. These toilets, located in areas where the Metro does not pay fees, have been handed over to Sulabh International. It will collect Rs 2 for urination and Rs 5 for defecation from users.

National College, Lalbagh, South End Circle, Jayanagar, Rashtriya Vidyalaya Road, Banashankari, Jayaprakash Nagar, Yelachenahalli, Sir M Visvesvaraya Station-Central College, Dr. B R Ambedkar Station - Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Park and Krantiveer Sangolli Rayanna railway stations have to pay to use toilets.

The toilets at these stations are located in areas where passengers can use them before getting their tickets. Therefore, they are used by people other than metro passengers. Several metro passengers had complained about the poor maintenance of these toilets. Therefore, we have decided to hand them over to Sulabh International and charge the users, said a senior BMRCL official.

“There is no charge for toilets used by metro passengers after purchasing their tickets. This has nothing to do with the recent fare hike,” the official said. The metro, which has already been criticised for being the most expensive metro in the country due to price hikes, has come under fire for charging users for toilets.

BMRCL has already increased the fares by more than 71 percent, which has become a burden on passengers. Commuters have argued that it is the duty of the metro to provide free drinking water and toilet facilities.

The JDS has tweeted about this. It has launched a scathing attack saying, ‘The government has also gone into collections in Namma Metro toilets for guarantee schemes.’