Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to nominate them to join the ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign, the ‘dabbawalas’ of Mumbai said they will leave no stone unturned to make Modi’s dream of clean India come true.

“When the PM of this country nominates common people like us to take part in his (clean India) campaign, it is a matter of honour for us,” Raghunath Medge, head of Mumbai Dabbawala Association told media in Mumbai.

“The members of our association had even visited Prince Charles’ wedding on his invitation. We have seen the world and hence know how beautiful cities look when they are kept clean,” Medge said.“We do not have financial backing, but if private organisations are willing to come out with pamphlets depicting the harms caused by filth, we will support it whole-heartedly and distribute it among our clients,” he said.

‘City of Joy’ Kolkata, a major tourist magnet, has been ranked worst in terms of sanitation facilities for tourists, according to a survey.

About 74 per cent of the total respondents placed Kolkata on the top of the list of tourist locations which require upgrading of sanitary restroom facilities followed by Mumbai with 72 per cent.

The two mega cities are followed by Chennai (71 per cent), Bangalore (53 per cent), Pune (per cent), Delhi (47 per cent) and Hyderabad (31 per cent).

The survey conducted by private travel portal HolidayIQ.com, was inspired by Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s ‘Clean India’ campaign, and emphasises on the need to establish “well-maintained” toilets across the country.

It was conducted in seven cities—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad—on a sample size of 10,000 respondents.

Also, 88.31 per cent of the total respondents felt that railway stations across the country required major improvement in toilet facilities.

Nearly 88 per cent felt that public places in cities also lacked adequate toilet facilities, followed by 79.17 per cent who consider that the facilities need to be upgraded in tourist, religious or heritage sites.

With India observing the ‘World Toilet Day’ , the company states that even at some of the world’s most frequented sightseeing sites in India, travellers often complain about standing in long queues outside stinking toilets and rank it among the worst tourist experiences in the world.

“Most people in India actually choose their travel destinations based on the restroom experience they can expect.  This is especially true for women, and even truer for mothers who shop or travel with small children.

“Having accessibility to cleaner toilets on a holiday is one of the key requirements of a modern traveller and it tends to influence their travel plans. Poorly maintained restrooms at some of India’s most famous tourist sites is an issue travellers face. As always, being India’s largest travel community, this survey aims to reflect the voice of Indian travellers,” its CEO said.

Of the total 10,000 respondents who participated in the survey, 79 per cent were women.