From now, pay to use toilet at 12 Namma Metro stations

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has handed over the management of restrooms located in the unpaid areas of these stations to Sulabh International, a non-profit known for managing public sanitation facilities.

According to a senior BMRCL official, users will now be required to pay ₹2 for urinal use and ₹5 for toilet use.

In the first phase, the stations where these charges have been introduced include National College, Lalbagh, South End Circle, Jayanagar, Rashtriya Vidyalaya Road, Banashankari, Jaya Prakash Nagar, Yelachenahalli, Sir M Visvesvaraya Station (Central College), Dr BR Ambedkar Station (Vidhana Soudha), Cubbon Park, and Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station.

This move comes months after the implementation of a steep fare hike of up to 71%. When Namma Metro first began operations in 2011 with a line connecting Baiyappanahalli to M.G. Road, the lack of access to the restrooms for the public became a contentious issue.

In response to mounting public pressure, the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission had declared that the absence of toilets violated the fundamental rights of commuters.

Eventually, BMRCL agreed to provide free restroom access to passengers within the paid concourse areas in 2015.

Some others said that if it means that toilets will be well-maintained, paying a nominal sum will not be a bad idea.