Archana Agnihotri, a social activist, avoids drinking water during the daytime when she is out for work because she fears that she may need to go to toilet, which are rarely available in functional condition in the city.
She did a survey in some busy areas of the southern part of the city and the findings were shocking for her. She visited 18 public toilets and found just one that was properly working where women could go.
Her survey was referred to in the Delhi high court by advocate Ashok Agarwal He told a division bench comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Indermeet Kaur that there were not enough toilets for women and that even the existing ones were not being maintained properly by the civic authorities. The court has issued notices to the municipal agencies about the condition of toilets in the city.
Hearing the matter, the high court asked the three MCDs (zone-wise), NDMC and Delhi Cantonment board to file their status report within three weeks. It also directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to file a separate report within three weeks after the civic agencies file their report.
‘Many women have told me about this issue which is having an effect on their health. They have told me that they avoid drinking water and it leads to dehydration. There are almost no toilets meant for women in the city. It does not matter whether one is rich or poor, all women face this problem when they go out. Where there are toilets available, its condition is very unhygenic which makes women sick. This is the issue where the security and safety of women are involved. This is a national shame. Nine per cent GDP growth is not an indicator of development of the country if women in our country face problem even for answering the nature’s call,’ said Agarwal who has sought direction to the authorities for their alleged failure to maintain toilets for women across the city.’
She did a survey in some busy areas of the southern part of the city and the findings were shocking for her. She visited 18 public toilets and found just one that was properly working where women could go.
Her survey was referred to in the Delhi high court by advocate Ashok Agarwal He told a division bench comprising justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Indermeet Kaur that there were not enough toilets for women and that even the existing ones were not being maintained properly by the civic authorities. The court has issued notices to the municipal agencies about the condition of toilets in the city.
Hearing the matter, the high court asked the three MCDs (zone-wise), NDMC and Delhi Cantonment board to file their status report within three weeks. It also directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to file a separate report within three weeks after the civic agencies file their report.
‘Many women have told me about this issue which is having an effect on their health. They have told me that they avoid drinking water and it leads to dehydration. There are almost no toilets meant for women in the city. It does not matter whether one is rich or poor, all women face this problem when they go out. Where there are toilets available, its condition is very unhygenic which makes women sick. This is the issue where the security and safety of women are involved. This is a national shame. Nine per cent GDP growth is not an indicator of development of the country if women in our country face problem even for answering the nature’s call,’ said Agarwal who has sought direction to the authorities for their alleged failure to maintain toilets for women across the city.’