The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) informed the Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench that public toilets across the city are cleaned three times a day. This response came during a hearing on a petition related to toilet maintenance. The civic body also stated that it has awarded a contract worth ₹25 lakh for cleaning services and claimed to have spent ₹1 crore on toilet repairs.
Despite the NMC’s claims, many public toilets in the city remain in poor condition, causing inconvenience to citizens. According to a report in a local daily, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by Advocate Sandeep Badana. The petitioner raised concerns over the shortage of public toilets in the city and pointed out that most of the existing ones are unhygienic. He further alleged that contractors are not adhering to cleanliness norms and that the NMC has failed to maintain the facilities properly.
As per information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, there are 66 public toilets across the 10 zones of Nagpur city. Of these, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) claims that 63 are functional. The civic body also stated that toilet facilities are available in 120 public gardens. However, this number remains insufficient for the city’s growing population. Due to the shortage and poor condition of public toilets, many people are still forced to defecate in the open.
Earlier, the court had directed several officials, including the Municipal Deputy Commissioner and the Director of the Swachh Bharat Mission, to respond to the matter. The petitioner pointed out that in 2012, during a previous PIL, officials had assured the court that the issue would be resolved. However, no significant improvement has been seen since then. He has now urged the High Court to take strict action and direct the administration to address the ongoing problem of public toilets in Nagpur.
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