Bhubaneswar: The civic body has gifted the city its 100th new toilet within the span of a year.

The housing and urban development department has reviewed the status of existing and new toilets and found that the number of such facilities has increased to 175, which was a mere 75, at the same time last year.

"We had a review meeting on the functional toilets in city and came up with comparative data. We found that the civic body and its partners have constructed and opened 100 new toilets for citizens. It is indeed an achievement," said a housing and urban development official.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had inked a deal with Sulabh International in July last year for construction of about 150 hybrid toilets in the city. Data suggests that about 52 such toilets have already been opened for the public. Besides, 48 toilets have also been constructed under Project Samman.

"It is indeed an achievement of the civic body. I remember searching for toilet complexes on city streets in vain even a few years ago. However, the picture has changed. I can now find toilets almost in every 500 metres, mainly in the areas where footfall is high. I hope the civic body will maintain the facilities properly," said Unit-III resident Viswas Panigrahi.

"We are taking steps for proper maintenance of the toilets," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.