NMMT transforms two defunct and scrap buses into portable unisex toilets, with art written all over them
Navi Mumbai / CBD-Belapur: Well, thanks to the NMMC, citizens of Navi Mumbai will now be able to relieve themselves while admiring “Art”! Yes, you heard it right! Two defunct NMMT buses have been transformed into, what they have been calling, “Upcycled Art Toilet Buses”! What more, the buses are unisex, so men and women, both are invited!
The NMMT is getting creative in their quest to outdo other corporations in the country in the Swachh Survekshan, 2021, and they might be doing it already.
Let us remind our readers that Navi Mumbai happens to be the only city in the state of Maharashtra to have been awarded a five-star rating for being a garbage-free city and a double plus rating for being an Open Defecation Free (ODF) city. So that is some inspiration for winning more in accolades future contests.
Ever since the commencement of the Swachh Survekshan contests, the NMMC has taken keen interest on the adoption and implementation of the three ‘R’s’ concept – ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. Through such, they have been focusing on ‘sustainability from waste’, transforming waste materials into art pieces and beautiful structures of marvel.
In the past, the NMMC had been praised for creating some eye-catching art installations made completely out of waste materials, one being the “Mother India Board”, an artwork created out of scrap computer chips and components, a FIFA installation made out of bottle caps, and the “Mahatma Gandhi Chasma and Charkha” murals made of upcycled waste cycle, discarded wood, old newspapers etc.
Taking inspiration from their own feats, the NMMC has taken keen interest in the provision of toilets to people who throng public places and markets that don’t have toilets. In doing so, it wishes to keep such places clean.
For such, the NMMC zeroed in on two defunct NMMT buses that were to be scraped off. The buses, though not fit for transporting commuters, looked promising as portable toilets. However, they had to be eye-catching and inspiring. So the corporation had to bring in the “art factor”, and the results have been astonishing.
NMMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar is all praises for the entire team that envisioned and accomplished the task of converting scrap-worthy buses into something so useful to the people, especially women, who find themselves in embarrassing situations when toilets are not around in crowded places in the city.
At the same time Bangar is astonished by the kind of artwork carried out by the company that converted the bus and the art team that made it into nothing less than a piece of art.
It is owing to the broad visions of the NMMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar, that such projects are fast becoming the norms for NMMC and the city of Navi Mumbai.
Jaspal Singh Naol, Co-founder, Globalgreen Innovators Pvt. Ltd., whose organisation took care of the artistic part of the project, shares, “The NMMC is innovative and open to experimenting. They have always given us a free hand to come up and implement ideas that stand out for their uniqueness and the social messages that they send across.”
“The idea of a portable toilet moving around in an appeasing manner, worked well with the kind of work done on the buses used for the purpose. Through the artistic touch, the NMMC has also changed the aesthetics of how portable toilets generally tend to look – worn down and with putting-off appearances, to that of a five-star water closets providing a different level of visual and mental comfort,” he adds.
“Through the artistic touch, the NMMC has also changed the aesthetics of how portable toilets generally tend to look – worn down and putting-off appearances, to that of five-star water closets providing a different level of visual and mental comfort.”
– Jaspal Singh Naol, Co-founder, Globalgreen Innovators Pvt. Ltd.
The impeccable work of transforming the NMMT buses into beautiful and fully optimized toilets was carried out by Kalyani Cleantech Pvt Ltd., an associate company of M / s. Sara Plast Pvt. Ltd., that took it up as an interesting and progressive initiative to give something to the local community.
Saurabh Kanade, the General Manager of Kalyani Cleantech Pvt Ltd., shares enthusiastically, “We simply loved NMMC’s concept of turning a bus into a fully functional toilet and that too with an artistic touch. There was a lot to be done within the small space available inside the bus and I think we did pretty well.”
“I am glad that the NMMC trusted us with the job because it was more than a regular job – The Upcycled Art Toilet Bus was meant to be a gift for the local community by the NMMC and had to be special. We tried to make it as special as possible,” he adds.
“The Upcycled Art Toilet Bus was meant to be a gift for the local community by the NMMC and had to be special. We tried to make it as special as possible.”
– Saurabh Kanade, General Manager, Kalyani Cleantech Pvt Ltd.
NMMC’s Upcycled Art Toilet Bus(es) – Description, Details and Purpose
NMMC has converted two discarded NMMT buses into fully functional portable toilets or as they call it “Upcycled Art Toilet Bus(es)”.
There are 5 toilets in all in each bus – three for women that can be accessed through the front and two for men that can be accessed from the rear. There are also separate urinals in the men’s section. The bus also has wash basins in both the sections, male and female. There is water tank atop the bus for water provision.
The purpose of NMMC’s Upcycled Art Toilet Bus(es) is to provide a portable toilet in crowded areas of Navi Mumbai, especially market areas, that lack public toilets. It will come as a boon for women who frequent the markets and suddenly feel the need to visit a toilet.
The NMMC’s’ Art Toilet Bus(es) are ready to use and have been doing the rounds since yesterday.
Dignitaries present at the inaugural of the NMMC’s Upcycled Art Toilet Bus
The NMMC’s Upcycled Art Toilet Bus service was inaugurated by the Additional Commissioner of NMMC Sanjay Kakade in the presence of Deputy Commissioner of Administration Dadasaheb Chabukswar, Deputy Commissioner of Solid Waste Management Dr. Babasaheb Rajale, Deputy Commissioner of Social Development Kranti Patil, Deputy Chief Sanitation Officer Pralhad Khose and Deputy Engineer Vasant Padghan.
The General Manager of Kalyani Cleantech Pvt Ltd., Saurabh Kanade, was also present along with Meenal Dongre, the company’s accountant.
Last but not the least, there were the co-founders of Globalgreen Innovators Pvt Ltd. that handled the art part, Jaspal Singh Naol, Binoy K and Nikhil M along with artists like Sankalp Patil, Sudhir Shedge and Vaibhav Ghag from the group “Skulp”.
Last Updated on December 13, 2020 by lp@admin
