Bhubaneswar: Residents of Bhubaneswar will soon have to pay to use public toilets, as the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to reintroduce user charges that were waived during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the new arrangement, users will be charged Rs 5 per usage at public toilets. The decision follows a directive from the Housing and Urban Development Department, which advised urban local bodies to resume user fees to ensure better maintenance and sustainable operation of sanitation facilities.

Initially, the fee will be introduced on a trial basis for one month. If the system is accepted by the public and proves effective, the civic body may extend the arrangement.

At present, the BMC area has 109 public toilets, 56 community toilets, and 18 e-toilets, while another seven e-toilets are located in parks managed by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA). Together, the public toilets have 710 seats, while community toilets provide 1,055 seats for users.

The city is also expanding its public sanitation infrastructure. A total of 152 urinals have been planned, of which 93 have already been completed, and more than 10 have been opened for public use. The remaining facilities are expected to become operational soon, while 69 urinals and six public toilets are currently under construction.

Public toilets, community toilets and urinals had been made free of cost during the pandemic to minimise physical contact through cash transactions. Since then, citizens have been using these facilities without paying any fee.

However, in a letter issued on June 8, the Housing and Urban Development Department directed the BMC to restore user charges to support the maintenance and long-term management of public sanitation facilities. The department permitted urban bodies to charge up to Rs 10 per user, while making it clear that no authority could collect more than the prescribed ceiling.

Following discussions, the BMC decided to keep the fee at Rs 5.