This story is from February 23, 2019

BMC removes portable loo near Salman Khan’s Bandra home

BMC removes portable loo near Salman Khan’s Bandra home
A crane takes away the portable urinal that had been placed opposite actor Salman Khan’s (inset) Bandra Bandstand residence in 2017
MUMBAI: The portable urinal opposite actor Salman Khan’s home in Bandra Bandstand which ran into controversy when it was installed around two years ago, was moved out by civic authorities on Thursday. The local residents’ association, which has been maintaining the urinal, was upset that they were not informed about its removal.
Civic officials said the urinal has been temporarily moved out owing to the on-going beautification work of Bandra Bandstand promenade.
“It will be placed back there after the promenade work is completed,” said Sharad Ughade, assistant municipal commissioner of H-West ward.
In May 2017, when the portable urinal was placed at Bandra Bandstand, Salman’s father screenwriter Salim Khan, actor Waheeda Rehman and other residents met mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar with concerns that it was not placed at a suitable location and their suggestions were not taken into consideration. Later, the Bandra Bandstand Residents Trust took up the task of maintaining the toilet. The trust’s trustee, Benedict Soares, said: “We spend almost Rs 16,000 every month to keep the portable urinal clean, yet were not kept in the loop when the BMC removed it.”
Bandra corporator Asif Zakeria took to Twitter to complain that portable urinals across the city seem to be disappearing. “At Khar Telephone Exchange too, urinals have been moved out. There is also confusion under which funds these toilets had been installed.” Yuva Sena’s Rahul Kanal tweeted a video of the urinal being carted off by civic authorities. BJP MLA from the area Ashish Shelar said placing the urinal at Bandstand was their initiative. “There were two opinions when the toilet was installed, but we have seen that there was a need for it over time,” he said. “But as the maritime board is undertaking works in the area, it had to be moved.”
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About the Author
Richa Pinto

Richa Pinto is a special correspondent with The Times of India. She covers urban governance & climate change issues. With over a decade of experience in field reporting, she has written extensively on various civic issues affecting Mumbaikars. She graduated in -journalism from the prestigious Mumbai-based St Xavier's College and later pursued a three-year Law degree (L.L.B.) with the University of Mumbai. She regularly tweets about all things that matter to Mumbai on-- @richapintoi.

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