HC poser to BBMP, govt over PIL on state of public loos

The High Court of Karnataka has sought a response from the BBMP and the state government while hearing a PIL, seeking directions to the authorities concerned to constitute a management committee for the construction of public toilets and maintenance of the same.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari was hearing a PIL filed by the Anti-Corruption Council of India, a city-based trust that aims to create awareness through various programmes on preventing corruption.

The petitioner has stated that Bengaluru has recently been in the news not only for the lack of toilets, but also for their poor maintainence. The petition also stated that the BBMP is turning a blind eye to the problem of stinking toilets, lack of water, power supply and lack of hygiene. He has also referred to various print media articles highlighting the poor state of public toilets in the city.

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The petitioner has contended that the state of public toilets is a cause of grave concern with regard to public health and safety as there is no proper sanitation and poor maintenance like broken toilet seats, defective flushing system and garbage accumulated in and around the public toilets.

The petitioner further states that the need of the hour is to constitute a management committee for the construction of public toilets and maintenance of the same.

The petitioner has also sought directions to deploy state of the art eco-friendly toilets at various public spaces like bus junctions, petrol pumps and tourist places among others. The petitioner also seeks directions to the respondents to conduct surveys on regular intervals in order to have updated status of management and working of public toilets. The court adjourned the hearing to January 30.