On the backdrop of right to pee activists returning their awards for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s failure to construct toilets for women, it has come to light that the funds earmarked for this task in last year’s budget have been lapsed by the civic body.

The BMC had provided Rs 5 crore for the construction of toilets for women under the right to pee movement. However, corporators have alleged that the funds were not used.

Raising the issue in the civic standing committee on Wednesday, Samajwadi Party corporator Rais Shaikh said that while there is a growing demand of constructing toilets for women in the city, the BMC is not utilising its funds provided for this task. It's unfortunate that women activists had to return their awards to protest BMC's apathy on this issue.

Alleging that civic body has not fulfilled its promises to build toilets for women, right to pee activists had returned their awards to mayor Snehal Ambekar on Tuesday.

Right to pee activist Mumtaaj Sheikh said, “It’s true that the BMC did not use funds of Rs 5 crore last year despite our repeated demands for construction of toilets for women.”

Additional municipal commissioner Pallavi Darade said the civic body is trying to build more toilets for women. In the year 2015-16, the BMC built 3,164 toilet seats for women in the city, she said.

Meanwhile, senior Shiv Sena corporator Trishna Vishwasrao has proposed that women should be allowed to use private toilets in hotels, hospitals and private companies.