Toilet cheat

Toilet contractors across suburban railway stations are fleecing you. Mumbai Mirror reader Rajil Menon reveals how they are making nearly Rs 1.2 cr a month on the sly

Yogesh Sadhwani

     

Posted On Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 03:44:27 AM

As far as corruption goes, this stinks. An investigation carried out by Mumbai Mirror reader Rajil Menon has revealed that contractors maintaining pay-and-use restrooms at suburban railway stations fleece lakhs of rupees from commuters every month. The railway rulebook says a visit to these loos must cost not more than Rs 2. But attendants at some of the city’s busiest stations charge up to Rs 5. Mumbaikars are not known to pinch pennies. If commuters are asked to shell out Rs 5 at a pay-and-use toliet, few will think twice. Not when they’re in a rush. But here are some facts to make you think again before you use a public convenience. These toilets are used by two lakh commuters every day. If each of them pays even an extra Rs 2 it amounts to a neat Rs 1.2 crore. That’s how much contractors are pocketing monthly. Your desperation is their opportunity. Mumbai Mirror teamed up with Menon to expose this scam. Reader Rajil Menon lodged complaints with station masters of two railway stations after being overcharged. You are being looted in railway toilet scam Paying an extra couple of bucks may not pinch your pockets, but contractors are raking in lakhs by duping commuters using toilets at stations Yogesh Sadhwani       Posted On Wednesday, July 21, 2010 at 03:06:41 AM You’re supposed to pay Rs 2 to use toilets at stations (the urinal facility is free), says the Railway rule book. But if you've used these restrooms, you will wonder why attendants at most stations charge between Rs 3 and Rs 5. This apparently simple scam of taking a couple of rupees more is raking in more than a crore every month - by a conservative estimate - for the contractors who have bagged deals to manage the pay-and-use restrooms. “Nearly two lakh commuters use toilets at stations daily,” Madhu Kotian, president of the Railway Passenger Association told Mumbai Mirror. A board at CST shows that the charge for the use of the toilet is Re 1 but we paid Rs 3 “Even if you take an extra Rs 2 per person it adds up to approximately Rs 4 lakh in a day. This is a scam,” he said. Rajil Menon, a Mumbai Mirror reader and regular commuter, recently complained that he was charged Rs 5 for the public convenience. The station master told him that the contractor was fined Rs 100 for the over-charging. But the next day, he was overcharged again. To uncover the racket Mumbai Mirror accompanied Menon to several Western and Central Railway stations in a test drive. Here is what we found: CST This station, against  which Menon complained earlier, has a board specifying a charge of Re 1 for the toilet. The MM team, along with Menon, found that things had not changed despite the complaint. The attendant asked Menon for Rs 3. Dadar (Western) The toilet on Platform 1 did not have a board. The attendant here asked for Rs 3. Despite a heated argument with Menon, he insisted on getting the full amount. Most commuters paid without arguing with him. Kurla The attendant said the use of toilet and bath cost Rs 5. When Menon said the charge was for both facilities and not just the toilet, the attendant insisted on the full amount. Other commuters joined Menon when he objected. Kalyan The toilet near Platform 1 of this station did not have a board specifying the charge. Menon was asked to shell out Rs 5 for the facility. When he protested, the attendant was irked. He insisted on the amount. Khar The toilet between Platforms 2 and 3 at Khar does not have a board. However, this was the only place where the attendant asked for the correct charge - Rs 2.  What Railways say  Central Railway chief public relations officer Shrinivas Mudgerikar said all pay-and-use toilets should charge only Rs 2. “If attendants overcharge, commuters must resist and bring it to the notice of the station master. Contractors are fined for the first offence. If there are repeated complaints, we can terminate their contracts.” SS Gupta, chief public relations officer of Western Railway also asked passengers to register complaints. “Only then can we take action. We will terminate contracts of those against whom there are many complaints,” he said.  Both Mudgerikar and Gupta added that boards telling commuters how much they should pay will be prominently displayed at all stations.