Plight of public toilets in city exposed before HC

 

 

 

The poor condition of public toilets in the city has once again come under the scanner of the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court. Petitioner Adv Sandeep Badana has submitted a Pursis in connection with an ongoing public interest litigation (PIL), highlighting the stark difference between the claims of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the reality on the ground.

 

The PIL was filed on the basis of a news report was published in the The Hitavada. Along with the application, Adv Badana presented a detailed inspection report supported by photographs of toilets across different zones of the city. Earlier, the High Court had directed the NMC to file an additional affidavit on the issue. However, the NMC failed to do so. Following this, the court asked the petitioner to personally inspect some of the toilets listed by the NMC. Acting on these directions, Adv Badana inspected toilets in five zones and submitted his findings.

 

 

During the inspection, many serious shortcomings were observed. The so-called “smart toilet” near Kalpana Wine on Residency Road was found locked and unopened. Women’s toilets at Cotton Market, Bhaji Mandi Road, were also locked and unavailable for public use. In most places, only toilet seats were present, with no commodes or proper seating arrangements. 

 

 

The sanitary pad vending machine at the Sulabh toilet near Mayo Hospital was found non-functional. The toilet near Ambazari Lake, which the NMC claimed was operational, was completely shut.

 

 

Another major concern raised was the absence of facilities for differently-abled persons at all the inspected locations. Adv Badana also reminded the court that in a previous PIL, the High Court had already issued final orders on February 6, 2012, directing the NMC to allocate funds and build more toilets according to a master plan. Despite this, the current situation shows little improvement which raised questions about the seriousness of the civic body.