INTRODUCTION
FOOD is an NGO in the field of social development for the past 25 years. FOOD has been working on water and sanitation projects for the past 12 years. FOOD's efforts started in a small way by participating with the ULBs in low cost sanitation program and providing soak pit toilets to individual house holds. Then FOOD moved on to providing school toilets and were later elevated to the level of working with the CMA as Partner Organization in operationalizing the Integrated Sanitation Program, a project funded by the World Bank. In the last three years FOOD has received several prestigious international awards and has recently won an award instituted by the World Bank for a hand-operated vacuum flush system for public toilets.
As a part of the privatization initiatives of the Tirunelveli City Municipal Corporation, FOOD was entrusted with the responsibility of sanitation and upkeep of the new bus stand. While privatization is done by adopting various method this is the first time an NGO has been brought into maintenance of public infrastructure through tender process by fixing specific terms of reference.
FOOD opted for the assignment primarily to establish that NGOs are capable of carrying out such activities, exceeding the expectations of the government and officers concerned, and at the same time open out new avenues to development NGOs and induce the NGOs to upgrade themselves to face the new challenge of being complementary to the efforts of the government in providing basic service to the community.
THE BUS STAND
The bus stand is situated in 15 acres of land with 128 shops, a daily commuter traffic of 50000, about 1000 bus conductors, drivers and transport administrative staff and about 500 workers working in the 128 shops. The bus stand has a main terminal building with four platforms. Two hundred chairs are placed in the terminal building and at few other places for the convenience of the passengers. Three pay and use toilets and urinals with bathing facilities are provided to the visitors in addition to one free toilet consisting of six urinals and three toilets and a bathing room. A room is provided to an NGO to take care of disabled who are in transit. This NGO is maintaining a ram, wheel chair, bed with mattress and a separate toilet for the disabled to rest and is maintaining the same round the clock.
Trolleys are made available for commuters to move heavy baggage to the bus thus avoiding private porters roaming around the bus stand. Sign boards are fixed to guide the passengers to reach the toilet. No smoking stickers are also fixed at the bus stand.
The bus stand is adequately illuminated with limos, sodium vapour and tube lights. Fire extinguishers are fixed at various focal points for safety. Efforts are on to persuade shop owners to fix their own fire extinguishers in their shops. Few shops have already started installing it. In addition to posting round the clock security, an out post police station is also functioning within the bus stand. Security personal are posted within the bus stand to prevent people form smoking at public places, prevent open air urination and also to attend to collection of entry fee for buses.
A pay and park cycle stand is available for the commuters which is functions round the clock. Space has been allotted for establishing post office and bank extension counter. Garbage bins are provide at two points to enable the shop keepers to dump their garbage, which is then periodically removed by the Corporation. Uninterrupted drinking water supply is available for the visitors.
THE SCOPE OF WORK
The scope of FOOD's work is briefly prescribed in the Terms of Reference. FOOD has been entrusted with undertaking sanitation and upkeep of the bus stand, its surroundings, pay and use toilets and the free toilet. FOOD is required to meet the cost for carrying out the above work by collecting user charge from the users of pay and use toilet and also pay a sum of Rs 27,000/- per month as lease amount to the Corporation.
Presently more than 10000 people use the toilets daily out of which 5000 people utilize the pay and use toilets and the rest use the free toilet.
On FOOD's part it carries out mass cleaning of the open space, bus bays, the terminal building and the platforms on a daily basis, FOOD has provided stainless steel dust bins at focal points and are monitoring the dust bins to ensure that the garbage is not dumped in the surroundings of the bin. Cleaning, scrubbing and washing of the platforms are done at night. FOOD has posted supervisors to monitor the activities round the clock. FOOD has also provided uniforms to the staff.
FOOD is maintaining the three pay and use toilets and the free toilet round the clock. The free toilets are maintained on par with the pay and use toilet. Since the quality of maintenance is on par with the pay and use toilets the usage of the free toilet is more compared to the pay and use toilets.
FOOD is also carrying out flushing of open and closed drains periodically, sweeping, mopping of platforms and the terminal building on a continues basis. Since the toilets are connected to a septic tank with no scope of using detergent or other chemical agents which will kill the bacterial in the septic tank hence FOOD is spraying perfume inside the toilet rooms.
THE SOCIAL COMPONENTS
With the objective of upgrading the scavenging profession and to avoid the scavengers using their hands for cleaning the closets and urinals, FOOD has introduced high pressure jet washing machine, sweeping machines and vacuum cleaners. FOOD has also have provided brooms that can be used in standing position and this improves the output by 30% at the same time reduces stress and strain to the spinal cord of the sweepers.
FOOD has so far trained 150 scavengers in the use of state of the art equipments for conservancy work and has provide employment to 54 conservancy workers who belong to schedule caste, three women who function as cashiers, two disabled and three ex-service men who function as supervisors.
FOOD has disciplined the shopkeepers to deposit the waste generated by them in a dust bins placed in front of their shop and then again transfer it to the main dust bin placed some place away so that the Corporation can remove it at fixed intervals. The shop keepers are disciplined in such a way that they do not extend their activity outside the area allotted to them or encroach on the platform and create hindrance to the public. The shop keepers owning coffee shops are made to maintain distance between the gas cylinder and the stove to avoid untoward incidents. Further they were provided basic training in the use of fire extinguishers. FOOD was able to get complete cooperation from shop keepers through counseling, awareness creation and shop owners participation.
Spitting has been totally eliminated and pots filled with sand for people to spit has been totally removed.
FOOD is maintaining trees around and within the bus stand by periodically watering and ensured 100% survival even during the drought season. Weeds are removed periodically from the open space. FOOD is also painting the bus stand periodically.
FOOD is maintaining a visitor book where hundreds of visitors including passengers, shop owners, bus drivers and conductors have recorded their appreciation and suggestions.
The long distance bus drivers and passengers claim this as the best and well maintained bus stand in the state.
FOOD is adopting a participatory and horizontal approach in the upkeep of the bus stand wherein all the shop keepers and FOOD's staff are made to feel a part of the system.
ISSUES
Some of the issues faced are the low level of awareness among the community on environmental hygiene and many who arrive at the bus stand from villages who are not accustomed to using toilets and chose to urinate in the open area. This has been considerably reduced by posting staff at vulnerable points and in few cases they are even fined for urinating in open space.
The shopkeepers who are totally dependent on the commuters for their livelihood claim that the business is not up to their expectation. This we feel is mainly due to unprecedent drought in the district and once the monsoon sets in the cash flow in the district will improve and they will be able to do better business.
LESSONS LEARNT
Based on the experience of entrusting the NGO with maintenance of the new bus stand, the Tirunelveli Corporation has now entrusted the maintenance of one of its oldest bus stands (junction bus stand) also to FOOD for operation and maintenance.