Don't lock public toilets operators in Ipoh told

Public toilet operators and owners especially in public areas in the city have been reminded not to lock the door to the toilets as the facility is much needed by members of the public and tourists alike.

Ipoh Mayor Datuk Zamri Man said the action of locking the door to public toilets, especially at food courts, recreational parks and shopping centres would cause major inconveniences to the people.

"Public toilet operators and owners should only monitor the toilets they provide for persons with disabilities (OKU) as they should only be used by people with special needs," he told reporters after inspecting several public toilets here today.

The inspection involving all management staff of Ipoh City Council (MBI) was held following 'A Clean Perak Campaign' launched by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir in March.

Zamri said there were 2,069 public toilets around the city with 84 of them belonging to MBI, while the remaining facilities were managed by building and business premises owners.

Apart from that, Zamri said MBI was targeting about 700 of the 2,069 public toilets in Ipoh to achieve four- or five-star rating in term of cleanliness this year.

He said from January to August this year, MBI had checked and evaluated the cleanliness of 915 toilets and from the inspections, 10 per cent of them were found meeting five-star standards.

At the same time, he said 58 compound fines, 46 notices and 407 verbal warnings were issued to those public toilet operators and owners, he said.

"The toilets were evaluated based on various criteria including water supply, lighting, ventilation, odour, facilities, building structure and additional facilities," he added.

Apart from that, MBI was also targeting to inspect and evaluate 1,400 of the 2,069 toilets in Ipoh this year including in places of worship, business centres and shopping malls. - BERNAMA