Those who debate hard on how to mint money from garbage may not be aware of the example set by the state road transport corporation and railways. The stinking public comfort stations in bus stands and railway stations in the state are a multi-crore business, estimated at over Rs 5 crore annually.
While authorities benefit from the monthly, quarterly or annual auction revenue by making a one-time investment of basic infrastructure, the contractors multiply their profit from hundreds of passengers who relieve themselves in these places.
The KSRTC has 88 stands with pay-and-use comfort stations, from which the corporation earns between Rs 7,000 and Rs 1 lakh a month.
“Comfort stations in town bus stands are always in high demand but 30% of those in remote areas have no takers even after repeated auctioning. We don’t have an exact figure on the revenue, as some of these are leased for a month while others are leased for a quarter or even a year. A rough calculation based on the average contract amount per station puts the figureover Rs 4.3 crore,” a senior officer from the estate wing of KSRTC said.
Comfort stations in nine KSRTC bus stands have been given to a private company on lease for 10 years from 2004. As per the agreement, the company paid Rs 40,000 a month per comfort station to the corporation in first year, with a 10% rise every following year. The total amount collected from this company this year will be above Rs 8 lakh.
The revenue being earned by Southern Railway is also staggering. Railway statistics reveal that the comfort station at Trivandrum Central AC waiting hall and the common toilet outside are leased at Rs 60,030 and Rs 58,875 a month.
The one at Ernakulam Junction is leased at Rs 26,000. Chengannur Station, a busy place during Sabarimala pilgrim season, is leased at Rs 13,667/month. The tender to run four toilets at Thrissur railway station was allotted last year for Rs 3,46,750 for the first year, with a 10% increase every year till 2015. Southern Railway earns nearly Rs 80 lakh a year in two divisions.
However, the state water transport department is yet to cash in on the trend. Department director Shaji V Nair said the nine public comfort stations in Alappuzha under the department had been given out on a contract of Rs 5,000 a month.
Source: Times Of India
