Beijing plans regulation on public toilets to aid tourists during Olympics

New Delhi, June 27 : Chinese authorities in Beijing are planning to publish a regulation on public toilets' management to ensure that people flocking to the capital in the wake of the Olympic Games can find restrooms when they need to "answer the call of nature".

As per the regulation to take effect on July 1, travellers can dial a hotline for directions if they need to find the nearest WC

"In addition to setting up guideposts indicating the way to nearby WCs, we will publicize their locations by latitude and longitude on related websites, city maps and traveling brochures," the China Daily quoted Ma Kangding, an official from the Beijing Municipal Administration Commission, as telling the Beijing Times.

Ma said that there were 5,333 public toilets and 270 mobile ones in Beijing, and that the commission was working on locating each toilet using the Global Positioning System.

The official also said that a hotline would be opened after the completion of the location work, through which residents and travellers would be directed to lavatories nearest to their position.

Ma further said that a total of 761 mobile toilets would be installed in Olympic venues, and 800 more would be distributed in nearby areas.

Anyone found to dismantle or close public toilets without permission might be slapped with a fine of up to 50,000 yuan, Ma added.

Local residents and travellers would also be requested to help maintain a clean and healthy environment when using public WCs, the official said.

ANI