High Court Seeks Response Of Centre, Delhi Govt On PIL Seeking Hygienic Conditions In Public Urinals

The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response of Union of India and Delhi Government on a public interest litigation to ensure availability of hygienic public urinals with clean water and electricity supply in the national capital.

A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad directed the authorities to file a status report within six weeks and listed the matter for hearing on May 23.

The respondents in the plea are Central Government through Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Government’s Public Works Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Cantonment Board, Delhi Power ComPanY Limited, BStrS Rajdhani Power Limited, BSES Yamuna Power Limited and TATA Power Delhi Distribution Limited.

Moved by Jan Sewa Welfare Society, the plea seeks directions on the respondents to inspect all available and functionally constructed public urinals in Delhi and to initiate steps for construction of more public toilets.

The plea states that the general public in Delhi face various issues due to poor maintenance of public toilets which are not properly maintained and also lack hygiene. It adds that lack of proper sanitation causes “disgusting atmosphere” and infectious diseases which may cause societal hazards.

“Needless to say, that 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, Part III of the Constitution of India,” it states.

The plea further submits that the Delhi Government should be a flag bearer in the “march to achieve and facilitate clean and hygienic sanitation” to the citizens and non-citizens.

Reliance has been placed on a flagship programme Swachh Bharat Mission, launched by Government of India in 2014 to promote sanitation and public health.

Stating that the programme was launched with an objective to accelerate the efforts to achieve universal sanitation coverage, the plea submits:

“To meet the goals set forth by the Government of India, it becomes pertinent to ensure availability and access of general public to clean public urinals, especially, in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT of Delhi). In order to achieve the goals, set forth under the SBM, there is an urgent and necessary requirement to improve the conditions and cleanliness of public urinals.”

Title: Jan Seva Welfare Society (Reg.) v. Union o f India and Ors.