Chennai: Public toilets with proper sanitation facilities are a rare sight in metro cities despite growth and developmental initiatives. The poor sanitation facilities force people, especially women, to become victims of infections and tattered infrastructure. However, to break the view and to give better access to sanitation, the Chennai Corporation signed a deal with Hyderabad-based firm Ixora Corporate Services to set-up 'Loo Cafe' project in the city and without much delay two cafes are expected to come up by the end of this month.
According to a report in The New Indian Express, "Loo Cafe" provides 'luxury' toilets attached to cafes with ACs and can be used by people of the city for free.
Ixora Corporate Services will bear the cost for installing and maintaining the toilets under public-private partnership (PPP) and the deal was signed in March last year. Ixora has planned to set up the 'Loo Cafe' in places including Panagal park in T Nagar, Besant Nagar Beach, Near Phoenix mall in Velacher, near Central Railway Station, Ripon Building and OMR. The cafes will be set up at the cost of Rs 14 lakh and Ixora has already set up such cafes in Telangana.
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The cafes have child-friendly and accessible toilets for people with disabilities and eldelry people. The toilets will have hand driers and central air fresheners. The cafe will serve packed food and drinks and will have free Wifi along with CCTV surveillance and advertising space.
From 2018, Ixora has set up Loo Cafe in Hyderabad, Telangana and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. Ixora has over 451 public restrooms and they started initiatives to expand their brand in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karnataka. The pandemic has also reportedly increased the footfall of the "Loo Cafe".