Failing to comply with deadline will attract strict action, says HC.
Failing to comply with deadline will attract strict action, says HC.
The Bombay high court on Tuesday reprimanded all municipal corporations and district councils across Maharashtra for not implementing the HC order of providing clean and safe public toilets for women, especially on the streets.
The division bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Prakash Deu Naik on Tuesday directed all the municipal corporations and district councils to implement the court order to provide clean and safe public toilets for women on streets and asked them to file a compliance report on April 22. The bench warned the civic bodies that if the court orders and guidelines issued time to time during hearing of this petition were not implemented, it would take action against them.
“There has only been partial compliance despite sufficient time being granted to the corporations to take steps to comply with the directions of this court,” observed the bench when it was informed that none of the municipal corporations had implemented the court order.
The judges asked all the civic bodies to file reply in affidavit on the next date of hearing. The bench also said, “The affidavits must record the time limit by when the corporations will comply with our directions. If we find failure on part of the civic bodies to take concrete steps, then it will be viewed seriously and appropriate action will be taken,” the bench said.
The bench was disappointed with the fact that instead of constructing new toilets, the Ulhasnagar municipal corporation was demolishing existing ones.
Meanwhile, the BMC informed the court that it formed a committee that had formulated a scheme to provide adequate toilets for women.
It also said that a budgetary provision of Rs 5 crore has been made for the year 2016-17 to procure e-toilets. According to the BMC, 90 toilets have been set up last year and permissions to install 48 more has been sought.
The bench was hearing a public interest litigation highlighting the lack of toilets/urinals for women in public places, especially for women walking who travel by foot on the road.
