PIL against dirty toilets at stations

Bapu Deedwania

     

Posted On Friday, August 13, 2010 at 02:02:13 AM

A Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Bombay High Court on the abysmal condition of  lavatories, urinals, toilets and drinking water supply at railway stations in the city. The PIL seeks that the budget for sanitation at Central and Western Railway stations be increased and a committee of experts be appointed to look into the results of a survey recently conducted by a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO).  Counsel M P Vashi, the petitioner, said the survey by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), which Mumbai Mirror was the first to report, highlights the inadequacy of the toilets. “There are 355 lavatories and 673 urinals in CR and WR.  Petition says CR budget for toilets at 73 stations in 2008-09 was just  Rs 14 lakh Of these, about 93 per cent are not functional and a mere 17 per cent are for women,” he said. “It has been pointed out that lack of toilets at railway stations and in public places is one of the main reasons for high incidence of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) among female commuters in Mumbai,” said Vashi.  The petition points out that CR’s budget for toilets at 73 stations in 2008-09 was a mere Rs 14 Lakh. Vashi said most drinking water fountains constructed by  philanthropic trusts and NGOs are under-utilised and poorly maintained. The report also points out that there are very few dustbins at most railway stations.  After reading the ORF report, Vashi wrote to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and the general managers of WR and CR. He said there was no response for over a month. “I was left with no option but to file a PIL,” he said.