Officials in India’s southern city of Bengaluru have launched a new campaign to shame public urinators out of the act, installing reflective billboards at popular makeshift “urinals” across the town to discourage the nasty habit.

The mirrors were installed at five locations around the city this week after numerous fines and other penalties failed to put an end to the spectacle. In addition to a stern message warning whizzers to hold it while in public, the reflective signs also direct those in need to the nearest restroom using a scannable QR code.

“We found that despite repeated cleaning of those spots, they continued to be used as urinals by the people,” City Commissioner Anil Kumar told ANI. “We, therefore, hit upon the idea of having mirror boards to prevent them from using the place as a urinal.”

In addition to that, we also display a QR code for the location of the nearest public toilet for them to use.

#Karnataka : As part of #SwachhSurvekshan2020 , Bruhat #Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) has installed mirrors in five locations across the city to deter people from urinating in public and eliminate public urination spot.#TV9Newspic.twitter.com/sBaIOou7Dj — Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) January 15, 2020

Some city residents have adopted vigilante tactics to stop the public urinators, including posting photos of Hindu deities at hot spots, as well as writing messages of abuse for the perpetrators, but all to no avail.

The huge mirrors, which measure eight by four feet and reportedly cost 30,000 rupees (around $420) a pop, are portable and can be shifted to any place in the city, where just shy of 500 public restrooms have apparently been insufficient to cover the needs of a population on the move.



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“We have 463 public toilets available in various parts of the city, however, there is a need for additional toilets to be built in the city considering the size,” Kumar said, adding that the city is “in the process of constructing public toilets.” He called on public and private companies to join the effort “as a part of [a corporate social responsibility] initiative.”

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