Visitors to Little India in Jalan Lahat, Ipoh, can now enjoy a new public toilet after the facility was completed following decades without one in the area.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the facility was the 12,000th public toilet built or upgraded under the Madani government.
The RM200,000 project aims to improve public amenities in the popular tourist area, particularly ahead of Deepavali celebrations, which are expected to draw large crowds.
“Many people do not know that Ipoh’s Little India has existed for almost 100 years, yet the area went more than seven to eight decades without a public toilet,” Nga said after attending the Walkabout Bazaar Deepavali @ Little India and the toilet’s opening ceremony yesterday.
He said he had promised during a visit last year to allocate RM200,000 for a public toilet built around the concept of being clean, attractive and fragrant (BMW).
During the visit, Nga, who is also Kepayang assemblyman, announced an additional RM20,000 allocation from the ministry to the Little India Traders Association to help improve the area’s appearance.
The new facility is expected to benefit traders and visitors, particularly during four consecutive nights of cultural and musical performances scheduled from November 3 to 6.
Nga said clean and comfortable public toilets were essential to supporting tourism and ensuring visitors had access to basic facilities.
He added that the ministry would continue improving public toilet cleanliness, especially as traders’ associations worked to attract more tourists to Little India.
Meanwhile, the ministry is planning to expand the use of smart public toilets, known as BMWI, to several major cities, including Ipoh.
Nga said Ipoh City Council was identifying suitable locations for the facilities, which would incorporate automated technology to improve cleanliness and user comfort.
The smart toilets would use technology to monitor certain conditions, including wet floors and the cleanliness of toilet areas.
However, Nga said construction would depend on available funding, with priority also given to upgrading existing public toilets.
