BENGALURU: An audit of 38 public toilets in the city’s southern localities through local ‘area sabhas’ between Nov 2025 and Jan 2026, has revealed that 95% of them are unusable for persons with disabilities.
The audit was conducted by Bengauru Navanirmana Party (BNP). BNP founder general secretary Srikanth Narasimhan said that the audit also shed light on other factors like zero transgender toilets across 21 wards, only 45% are fully functional, 92% have steps; no usable ramps, 71% unsafe for women, 100% are tanker water dependent, and 82% charge users without receipts.
The key findings were presented to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner, said Narasimhan.
As per the Right to Persons With Disability (RPwD) Act 2016, public toilets must be accessible, barrier-free, and designed to cater to the needs of persons with disabilities. Additionally, in January 2025, the Supreme Court declared that access to clean, functional, and safe public toilets is a fundamental right under Article 21.
The findings point to a near total exclusion of persons with disabilities, with over 95 per cent of toilets inaccessible in practice, 92 per cent having steps blocking entry, and none equipped with usable ramps.
Toilets designated for PwDs were frequently found locked or used as storage, only partially accessible.
The audit also found zero dedicated toilets for transgender persons across all 21 wards, forcing transgender users in every surveyed location to use women’s toilets, raising serious concerns around dignity and personal safety,” he added.
BNP has proposed at least one public toilet every 800 metres in high-footfall areas, instituting quarterly audits on hygiene, safety, and accessibility, and mandating that every facility have at least one universally accessible unit and one gender-neutral unit.
The recommendations also called for standardised design, construction, and maintenance protocols, partnerships with citizen groups and NGOs for ongoing monitoring, and a transition to solar lighting, rainwater harvesting, and sewage treatment plant linkages.