Mumbai : The Bombay High Court on Friday has asked all the municipal corporations in the state to come up with individual schemes as per areas and infrastructure to provide easy access of community toilets to women. The court has also asked a committee to be formed consisting non-government organisations (NGOs) to do periodical visits and look into issues of sanitation and hygiene in the said toilets.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Marathi newspaper, ‘Milun Saryajani’ in Pune, asking Pune Municipal Corporation to provide toilets and latrines to women on every street. The court further extended the PIL to all the municipal corporations of the state.
A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice A S Gadkari pointed out that the PIL raises issues of importance of community toilets, latrines, privies and urinals, etc for women.
The bench directed that a committee has to be formed at ward level and should comprise of an assistant municipal commissioner of every ward, ward medical officer and a member of a NGO for the purposes of making periodical visits to ensure that the facilities.
