New Delhi: Delhi will soon get Suvidha centres on the lines of Mumbai, with Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) taking up the initiative in collaboration with central govt. The centres will be set up near low-income colonies to provide essential facilities such as toilets, shower areas, laundry services and water ATMs under one roof.The civic body will launch the initiative as a pilot project at Ekta Camp in RK Puram. “Hindustan Unilever is developing a modern Suvidha Centre there under its corporate social responsibility initiative, in collaboration with the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs,” stated MCD in a report submitted to Delhi govt. The company has been running 24 such centres in Mumbai for 10 years.Spread over around 160 square metres, the centre will have 46 toilet seats, four showers, eight washing machines and a water ATM. The construction is expected to be completed in three months and the initiative will cost Rs 2.5 crore.“A key feature of the centre will be the treatment and reuse of wastewater through a sewage treatment plant. Rainwater harvesting and solar energy facilities will also be installed to make the centre environment-friendly,” stated the report. Artificial intelligence-based monitoring will be carried out every four hours to ensure better hygiene and sanitation.MCD will levy charges for using the facility: Rs 3 for using a toilet, Rs 70 per load for laundry, Rs 10 per shower and Re 1 per litre of water.Until now, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board has been responsible for developing similar toilet facilities within or near slum clusters in the city. However, poor maintenance and unhygienic conditions have often discouraged people from using them, while facilities such as bathing and laundry services aren’t there.MCD is planning to develop multi-storey structures on limited plots of land to accommodate these facilities under one roof.According to the civic body, Delhi already has a network of public and community toilets. Of its 837 public toilets, 613 are under MCD’s jurisdiction. Similarly, it maintains 128 of the 360 community toilet complexes.In Sept, Delhi govt announced a plan to construct 2,000 modern public toilets across the city. MCD and the tourism department have each been assigned a target of constructing 1,000 toilets. Funds for MCD’s share are proposed to be provided through Chief Minister’s Development Fund.According to MCD’s review report dated Oct 21, 173 more sites have been identified for toilets, and standard designs and cost estimates have been prepared.Meanwhile, 51 toilet blocks developed under the build-operate-transfer model are operational, while 10 more are being constructed. MCD has also received tenders for maintaining 180 toilets, with the process for another 350 underway.