In total, 21 free public toilets are being built in Jammu and Kashmir and three would be around Dal Lake. The startup has built bathrooms in tune with the needs of the locals. An area for ‘wazu’ (ablutions) has also been built and they made sure that even the directions of the infrastructure within the baths are adjusted to local preferences.
The startup headed to Srinagar after J&K officials were impressed with Telangana’s Loo Cafe showcasing it at a summit in Delhi in February.
The first bath would be inaugurated in Nishat Bagh (a Mughal garden near Dal Lake). The bathroom is a recyclable public toilet, which does not require a sewage system. A napkin vending machine, an ATM and a mini cafe are also part of it.
“Girish Chandra Murmu, former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and current Comptroller and Auditor General encouraged us,” said Abhishek Nath, Founder of Loo Cafe.
The J&K government officials also gave us a warm welcome. When we started construction, passersby praised the initiative, putting an end to all negative speculation and concerns, ”said Nath, who also thanked IT and MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao for giving it a chance in Telangana.
Srinagar residents praised the move. “Lack of toilets is an obstacle for workers and tourists alike, especially the poor, as the use of toilets in cafes and hotels was never an option for them,” Srinagar resident Raouf Nazeer.
Another Srinagar resident, Irfan Hyder, appreciated the Telangana start-up for respecting religious sentiments. “I was happy to see a place for wazu. While Nazeer added: “These toilets will stop open defecation in my city.”
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