Toilets for all? Where do sweepers and traffic cops go, Delhi HC wants to know

Three municipal corporations in the national capital were asked to file status reports on construction of public toilets in market areas.

Do sweepers and on-duty traffic policemen have access to toilet facilities, the Delhi High Court asked three municipal corporations in the national capital on Friday.

A Swachh Public Toilet in New Delhi. The Delhi High Court wanted to know where do sweepers and gardeners go to relieve themselves while on duty. (HT Photo / S Burmaula)

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar also said that it has not seen public toilet complexes in local market areas and asked the corporations what they were doing about it.

“You (corporations) have sweepers and gardeners. Where do they go (to relieve themselves)? Are there toilets available to them during duty hours?

“What about traffic cops? Where do they go? It is not as if you do not need toilets if you are on duty,” the bench said.

The court was hearing a PIL seeking toilet facilities for slum dwellers of Shahbad dairy area in outer Delhi.

The corporations were asked to file status reports with regard to construction of public toilets in market areas and whether such facilities were available for their own cleaning staff as well as on-duty cops.

The bench issued the direction to the three corporations saying while the matter pertained to a specific area, the “larger perspective” needs to be looked into.