Panaji, Jan 8 (IANS) Goa's first air conditioned public toilet was Saturday installed at Chief Minister Digambar Kamat's legislative assembly constituency in Margao, 35 km from here.
The toilet was built at a cost of Rs.20 lakh, which was shared between the local municipality and sanitation specialist Sulabh International (SI), according to a SI spokesperson.
An SI official said the air conditioner installed inside the loo is sensor operated.
In July last year, during the monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly, the opposition legislators had accused the chief minister of being elitist and had questioned his sense of priorities.
The debate on the air conditioned toilet in Kamat's constituency had lasted nearly 10 minutes July 21 and had shades of both, seriousness and trivia.
"The Margao garden is considered as the most prestigious garden in the state. So what if there is an AC toilet. Once it is ready, a split AC could be fitted later," Kamat had said, endorsing the air conditioned loo.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Vijay Pai Khot, a theatre artist popular for his sense of humour, said: "Are you (Kamat) all really serious about having an AC toilet? It is a closed space…If someone uses it, the whole toilet will smell."
Known for his acerbic wit, Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar red flagged the concept citing an even more compelling argument.
"If someone steps into an AC toilet, he will not like to come out of it."