London, Aug. 8 (PTI): A major shopping centre in Greater Manchester has pulled the flush on Indian-style commodes after a public backlash against the move aimed at people from the Indian subcontinent.

Manchester has a significant minority of Asian origin. The Manchester airport and Royal Mail have installed Indian-style commodes but the Rochdale Exchange shopping centre has decided against providing the facility to its customers.

Managers of the centre had installed Indian-style commodes along with western ones in its newly refurbished toilet blocks. The move, however, provoked protests across Britain.

The commodes will be scrapped and when the refurbished toilets open, they will not be available for use, reports from Manchester said.

The shopping centre is visited by nearly 1.4 lakh people every week, including Asians. The Rochdale Council had been against the idea, but was not consulted when the plans were implemented.

The council had reportedly put pressure on the shopping centre’s parent company, DB Estates, to rethink the idea. Council leader Irene Davidson appealed for the decision to be overturned and said if the council had been consulted, it would have been against the installation of the pans.

The refurbishment of the toilets was paid for by the shopping centre.

Deputy council leader Ashley Dearnley said: “I’m really pleased that the shopping centre has realised that this was the wrong thing to do in every respect, both for the town and race relations.”

Davidson added: “I have had one threatening and one extremely rude letter about these…. The toilets are there but they will not be used.”