80-plus-year-olds on a mission to fix govt school toilets raise over Rs 5 lakh

Bengaluru: Two retiree friends, who are in their 80s, joined hands to ensure government schools in Bengaluru with bad toilets get a facelift. After they came across a situation of girls guarding a broken toilet in Byrasandra in Jayanagar six months ago, they started raising funds and stood by to supervise renovation work. After fixing the first toilet with Rs 1.76 lakh, they were approached by two more schools with a similar issue.

A Padmanabha, former senior vice president, ITC Limited and Venkata Subba Rao, former general manager of RBI made an appeal to friends and others. Within few days they managed to source funds. With funds in hand, both started work at a government school in Sarakki and another in Bandepalya on Kanakapura Road. The octogenarians say they were shocked to see such a sight at a government school where toilets lie in bad conditions for months and years with no one to take care of it.

Funds of over Rs 5 lakh that was collected was spent to execute the project. With some money still left in their account, the duo wants to spend on a similar cause. The duo has appealed to the local community to display ownership and responsibility towards government school facilities.