Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Thursday sought a clear account from Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on how it ensures cleanliness and regular maintenance of public toilets across the city, after being told that facilities under some civic departments lack maintenance contracts.A division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Rajnish Vyas was hearing a PIL filed by lawyer Sundeep Badana, who has raised concerns over the poor condition and inadequate maintenance of public toilets.Badana submitted that maintenance contracts presently existed only for toilets under NMC’s Slum Department, while no similar contractual arrangement was in place for toilets under the Garden and Solid Waste Management departments. He contended that the absence of such arrangements had resulted in neglect of these facilities.The bench, however, made it clear that awarding maintenance contracts was not a matter for judicial intervention, observing that such a direction could potentially benefit private contractors. Instead, the court said the focus should be on whether public toilets were being kept clean and cleaned regularly.The bench accordingly asked NMC’s lawyers to clarify the existing system and policy for maintaining cleanliness and sanitation in public toilets under all its departments.The PIL also questions the expansion of the city’s public sanitation infrastructure in proportion to its growing population. Badana submitted that only two public toilets had been added over 13 years. “With a rapidly growing population, how can just two more toilets suffice?” he asked.The petitioner claimed that the existing number of public toilets is inadequate and that maintenance contracts given to private agencies have not been properly implemented. “The contractors responsible for upkeep are inactive, and the municipal body has not given this issue the attention it deserves,” the PIL states.Badana also submitted that Nagpur should have about 460 public toilets based on current population estimates. During the proceedings, differences between global and national standards on toilet-to-population ratios came up, prompting the court to seek clarity from NMC on its own policy for determining the required number of public toilets.An affidavit filed in the proceedings has also identified areas described as “missing belts” in sanitation coverage, including Mankapur, Gorewada, Gittikhadan, Hazari Pahad and Dabha. The petitioner claimed that residents in these areas lacked adequate or functional public toilet facilities.The petition has further highlighted an administrative gap concerning toilets under Solid Waste Management and Garden departments. It alleges inadequate inspection and maintenance of these facilities.The petitioner has sought systemic measures to improve monitoring, including displaying contact details of nodal officers, GPS-based tracking of cleaning schedules and installation of CCTV cameras to prevent vandalism. He also proposes a digital feedback mechanism through QR codes at every public toilet.
