A Reader of The Indian Panorama writes to Mayor of New York

It is heartening to read that the Hon’ble Mayor and the Council members are seized of the problems of the citizens in the matter of public toilets.  But it is a dismal reading that so far, only 5 automatic public toilets (APTs) have been placed in different areas of New York during the last 2 years (since 2015).

As an occasional visitor to New York, I can understand the feelings of the citizens doing shopping in the Flushing markets at Main and Kissena Boulevard, or at Jackson Heights, or at Hillside Avenue (Street Nos. 250 to 268), and who may have to answer the call of nature.

No public toilet is to be seen anywhere.  So is the case at Times Square, and the frequent-visited Avenues of America nearby (Avenues V, VI, VII etc.).

I am not a resident of New York, yet please see below what a senior resident of the city has written to me saying it’s a real problem.

Also, kindly see below the extracts from a Press Report dated July 13, 2017 as appeared in a prominent newspaper of New Delhi, (India).

NEW DELHI: With the help of Google, now people can locate 331 public toilets in New Delhi areas. All you need to do is to write ‘Toilet’ or ‘Public Toilet’ in Google map and it will help you navigate through the busy New Delhi lanes to the toilet. Aimed at making New Delhi areas cleaner and reducing public urination, the facility was launched on Wednesday.

The toilets of New Delhi Municipal Council, its chairperson Naresh Kumar said, have been mapped on Google so that any person can easily search it. Currently NDMC has uploaded 331 public toilet units on Google Map. The toilets can also be searched on NDMC mobile application ‘NDMC311’.

Within three months 41 more public toilets in NDMC areas would be mapped on Google. I am hopeful that the concerned authorities will give a serious consideration to this problem,  and make the great New York city a better place to live and to visit as a tourist.

 Thanks.

 Dalip Thukral

11663 Tahiti Dr., Sterling Heights, MI-48312.

Phone: 586 268 5266.    e-mail:  dalipthukral@sbcglobal.net