Pune: Air-Conditioned Smart Public Toilet Inaugurated Near Phoenix Mall in Viman Nagar

Viman Nagar, 4th November 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday inaugurated a state-of-the-art, air-conditioned smart public toilet near Phoenix Mall in Viman Nagar, marking another step toward enhancing urban sanitation and public convenience.

The pre-fabricated facility, specially designed for long-distance travelers and local residents, aims to provide comfort, hygiene, and accessibility. The smart toilet was inaugurated by PMC Additional Commissioner Pavneet Kaur, in the presence of MLA Bapusaheb Pathare, Solid Waste Department Head Sandeep Kadam, Executive Engineer Amar Madikunth, and Prasad Jagtap.

Spread across 444 square feet, the facility dedicates 70 percent of its area to toilets and 30 percent to a small café. It is one of Pune’s first smart toilet concepts combining convenience, cleanliness, and sustainability.

The unit features five toilets and urinals for men, five toilets for women, a baby feeding and changing room, and separate toilets for transgender persons and persons with disabilities.

Constructed at an estimated cost of ₹33 lakh, the facility will be operated under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Parosa Private Limited has been granted rights to run the café for ten years, with the revenue to be used for the cleaning, maintenance, and repair of the smart toilet.

According to PMC officials, the initiative is part of the civic body’s broader plan to introduce modern sanitation infrastructure across Pune, aimed at ensuring comfort, dignity, and sustainable hygiene for all citizens.

However, not all citizens share the same view. Qaneez Sukhrani, Convenor of the Association of Nagar Road Citizens Forum, criticized the project, calling it an “outright waste of public funds.”

“This money could have been better utilized for essential civic needs. The PMC seems cash-rich if it can afford to spend on such misplaced initiatives,” she said. “It is also a waste of time for those of us who actively participate as responsible citizens. Earlier, on August 6, 2026, we had proposed building around five regular public toilets in the Airport and Viman Nagar areas. However, this project was executed in secrecy, and citizens associated with the Nagar Road Ward Office’s Rasta Dattak and Mohalla Committees were neither informed nor invited to participate.”