Bombay HC Issues Notice To State Government Over Lack Of Toilets Oon Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday issued a notice to the state government while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a city-based advocate highlighting the lack of toilets on the Mumbai-Pune expressway despite the assurance for the construction of 400 toilets.

Raju Thakker, a city-based lawyer, has approached the High Court against the state government’s Public Works Department (PWD) and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Ltd (MSRDC), seeking directions for the construction and provision of adequate toilet facilities alongside the Mumbai–Pune Expressway.

The division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice MS Karnik, while taking up the case, issued notices to both departments and adjourned the petition for further hearing on June 13. The departments will have to submit their responses by that time.

Thakker has claimed that for the road, such facilities are basic and essential for people as the journey takes around two to four hours. Thakker also claimed that in May 2018, the state announced the construction of around 400 toilets along its state highways. Under the proposed plan, the state had decided to build toilets every 100km – approximately at a travel time of every half hour.

Thakker submitted two applications under the Right to Information Act, seeking information on the number and location of existing washrooms along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. In response, Thakker was informed that there are only two existing toilets – one at Khalapur Toll Plaza and another at Talegaon Toll Plaza.

Thakker approached the court for the construction of more toilet facilities across the highway. Additionally, he has raised the issue of the lack of a proper waste disposal management system in the existing toilet facilities, including the failure to install incinerators for sanitary waste, which he claims is unhygienic and also disturbs the ecosystem.

“The MSRDC, by failing to provide adequate sanitation facilities along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, has neglected its public duty. As an entity responsible for the development, management, and maintenance of road infrastructure, MSRDC is obliged to ensure that the expressway is equipped with public amenities, including well-maintained and accessible toilets,” reads the petition.