How many times have you seen this in a public space? Something neat is installed, and very soon it breaks down, is vandalised, deemed unusable or appropriated for other uses. You know, spittoons that become dustbins, public toilets that get used for storage and water dispensers that end up sprouting leaks within hours.

Yet this nifty eToilet, in a park at Jayanagar 3rd Block, Bangalore is enduring.

In a span of about 20 minutes, a number of people at the Bangalore park tried the eToilet. The boy and girl pictured above were a typical example. Afterward, the girl said it was clean and convenient to use.

Hearteningly, the toilet seems to be idiot-proof. While there is a manual flush option, it flushes automatically too. It is also equipped with a button that washes the floor. The audio instructions, however, are ineffective, since they’re hard to understand amid ambience noise.

The toilets are all made of stainless steel. Speaking of similar toilets in Thiruvananthapuram,The Hindu noted, “occupying 25 sq.ft space, the eToilet comes with a price tag of Rs.99,999 ex-factory, which is inclusive of insurance charges and one-year warranty.”

It’s only been a few months since they were first installed but the eToilet seems to be a success. That surely comes as a boost to the BJP-led central government’s flagship Swachch Bharat programme .

*Photographs by H R Venkatesh