HC Asks Authorities To Respond, Take Steps On Plea Raising Issue Of Poor Maintenance Of Public Toilets

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad issued notices to the Centre, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Public Works Department, New Delhi Municipal Council, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Cantonment Board and discoms on the petition and asked them to file status reports.

“You clean out these places and file a status report. Six weeks granted to the authorities to file their status reports,” the bench said and listed the matter for further hearing on May 23.

The high court, which was hearing a petition by Jan Seva Welfare Society, said people face problems due to poor maintenance of public toilets. The plea said proper sanitation is often lacking which causes unhygienic atmosphere which may result in infectious diseases, and sought a direction to the authorities to ensure that public urinals are clean and sanitised with proper availability of clean water and electricity supply.

Seeking direction for the authorities to inspect all available and functionally constructed public urinals within the national capital, the plea sought construction of more public toilets strategically.

"The responsibility to maintain hygienic public toilets rests on the shoulders of civic authorities of the locality who are the instrumentality of the State. Thus, non-facilitation of clean and hygienic public urinals is a clear violation of the right to life and personal liberty of the public at large as promised under Article 21 of the Constitution,” it said.

The petitioner said after witnessing poor hygienic conditions of public toilets in various corners of Delhi and officials being "oblivious" of such situation, it made a representation to the authorities to take corrective measures but to no avail.