NEW DEHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and asked him to file his detailed responses within two weeks on the unhygienic condition of toilets in stations and lack of toilets in Metro trains operating in Delhi to various places.
The NHRC sought the responses from the MD, DMRC, after hearing a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist, Radhakanta Tripathy.
He filed the plea in the NHRC, and alleged that due to the non-availability of toilets for women in Delhi Metro, female passengers faced a lot of difficulty while travelling in Metro to various places, Tripathy told TNIE.
"It is very unfortunate, that despite Metro being life line of daily commuters in Delhi, authorities are not paying diligent/due attention to basic issue of providing clean and hygienic toilets to commuters specially women," Tripathy in his petition said.
The petitioner, Tripathy, contented that due to nonexistence of public utilities for women, or unhygienic conditions, women are forced to hold in their urine for extended periods of time. To avoid using the dirty toilets, many women do not drink their daily requirement of water, with impact on their health, including increased chance of urinary tract infections, prolapsed bladder, involuntary urine release etc.
Tripathy also said that as per media reports, DMRC's financial statements, the total revenue generated in financial year 2022-23 was around Rs 6645 crore, inclusive of income from traffic operations, real estate, consultancy and external projects.
"The aspect of toilets -- whether unavailability inside the metro trains and or unhygienic conditions at stations -- is being totally ignored by the DMRC. And if, it addresses this issue, then it would have spent its 1% of profit for addressing the issue, the results would have been dramatic," Tripathy said.
"Despite this huge earning of profits, the corporation has failed to discharge its social responsibilities to its commuters. It is worth to mention that, 40 community based organization in Mumbai launched the Right to Pee campaign in 2013 to demand better toilet facilities for themselves and for the 'women on the streets. This led to the enactment of a public policy also," Tripathy said.
For natural reasons, be it women or men, one may use public toilets at the Metro stations on account of long travelling time in commuting, he said in his plea.
He cited that the Supreme Court in its various orders, has expanded the scope of Article 21 and has included the right to live with dignity and all the necessities of life, such as adequate nutrition, clothing, health, etc.
While referring to a judgment of the Apex Court, Tripathy said the court held that maintenance and improvement of public health are indispensable and attending to public health is of high priority-perhaps the one at the top.
"What emerges is that women have the fundamental right to have safe and clean toilets at all convenient places in India. This recognizes their right to live with human dignity," he said.
Pleading for better hygienic toilets at stations and inside the metro trains, Tripathy cited a Delhi High Court judgment in a PIL filed by NGO, Jan Sewa Welfare Society, as the HC had directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to ensure that the public urinals and tollets in the national capital are clean, hygienic and in systematic manner.