An old man’s plea - Please show me a place to pee

An old man's plea - Please show me a place to pee

I read in newspapers that GHMC is asking hotels to construct wash rooms and to allow that to be used by public. What a shame? How can they shy away from providing basic amenities and expect hoteliers to co-operate?  As it is hotels and restaurants are charging service charges (12.5%) for poor service they are giving.

In an earlier article entitled "Seven Silly bothers of a Serious Morning Walker" I had indicated that finding a suitable place (urinal / toilet) to pee during your morning walk could be a problem. This problem continues for a large number oldies. For miles at a stretch you cannot locate a public toilet. Even if you find one, it might be so unhygienic (no water, stinking, overflowing drains and choked cisterns) that you cannot step in with any sense of comfort.

If you are out of home on public roads and the urge to void becomes unavoidable you need to quickly locate a urinal nearby. Public toilets / urinals can be located on your mobile if you have Mobile Data on. Just go to Google maps and type street name and public toilet in search field. Here is what I found for nearby toilets for Prenderghast Road (Secunderabad):

But do not expect Google maps to do miracles. Toilets so located may be locked or otherwise unusable as already explained.  Therefore intelligent alternate ways to locate them are required.

Here are a few tips that I can share for the benefit of fellow seniors:

Big Multi-storied Government offices, large Malls, big schools and colleges, Diagnostic labs, hospitals, nursing homes etc are useful. Cinema Halls and places of worship should be avoided.

In multistoried public offices toilets will be placed at the end of a long corridor. Observing drain pipes on the outside walls gives clues. All toilets in a multi storied building will be located in similar places on all floors. Malls have best of toilets but to reach them you will walk miles. Schools / Colleges have very unhygienic environment. Diagnostic labs are best bets.

If you are not in busy city roads but are in residential area you have a problem. Best is to take an auto or cab and move quickly to a safe area where you can relieve yourself.