The high court was hearing a petition by Jan Seva Welfare Society (File)
Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and other authorities to ensure that public toilets and conveniences are clean, hygienic and in proper order.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna also asked the civic authorities to appoint an officer in-charge of each public toilet for monitoring.
"We direct the authorities to ensure public urinals/toilets are clean, hygienic and in order. Last opportunity is granted to the respondents (civic authorities) to file replies to the petition," the bench said.
The high court was hearing a petition by Jan Seva Welfare Society on the unhygienic conditions and the poor maintenance, including lack of clean water and electricity, of public toilets in the national capital.
With the petitioner's counsel submitting that some toilets have no electricity, the bench said, "You appoint officers having some responsibility. Appoint one officer in-charge of each toilet for its monitoring." The court listed the matter for further hearing on January 29.
The high court had earlier asked the authorities to ensure that public toilets and conveniences were maintained with proper sanitation standards, saying their operation and maintenance were equally vital components of effective management and a complaint reporting or feedback system must be put in place.
It had directed all the civic authorities to prominently display at the site the name and contact numbers of the entity responsible for the operation and maintenance of each toilet facility to enable the public to report inconveniences.
The petitioner organisation has said people face problems due to poor maintenance of public toilets set up at various places.
The plea said proper sanitation is often lacking, causing an unhygienic atmosphere that is likely to cause infectious diseases, and sought a direction to the authorities to ensure that the public urinals are clean and sanitised with proper availability of clean water and electricity.
Seeking direction for the authorities to inspect all available and functionally constructed public urinals in the national capital, the plea also sought for the construction of more public toilets strategically.
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