Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has expressed strong displeasure over the poor condition and inadequate number of public toilets across the city. Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), a division bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Rajneesh Vyas directed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and the petitioner to submit detailed factual reports supported by photographs.

The Court instructed the NMC to file an affidavit listing all public toilets, their cleanliness status, and the names of contractors responsible for maintenance. Petitioner Advocate Sandeep Badana has been asked to document unclean facilities with photographs and submit his report by September 30.

During an earlier hearing, the NMC informed the bench that it had spent nearly ₹1 crore on repairs of “pay-and-use” toilets and another ₹25 lakh on maintenance of public toilets in the last financial year. According to its records, Nagpur currently has 62 pay-and-use toilets with 490 water tanks, 101 bathrooms and 318 toilets, in addition to 709 community toilet seats and 491 public toilets across various zones. The civic body also claimed plans to construct 37 more pay-and-use units.

Advocate Badana, however, argued that these figures mirror data submitted in 2012 and that no new toilets have been built in the past 13 years despite repeated assurances. The Court noted that Central Government norms of one public toilet per 100 people are impractical for urban settings and asked the petitioner to recommend a realistic requirement for Nagpur after personally verifying existing facilities.

The High Court’s directive underscores the urgency of addressing sanitation gaps and ensuring transparency in the city’s public health infrastructure.