Police tell HC they don't want public toilet on Mohammed Ali Road footpath

Senior Police Inspector of Pydhonie police filed an affidavit in Bombay High Court on Wednesday opposing a petition filed by a Lok Seva welfare association which has been granted permission to construct, operate and maintain a public toilet facility on Mohammed Ali road by BMC.

As per an affidavit filed by Inspector Avinash Kanade, through government pleader GW Mattos, the permission granted by the BMC is without obtaining NOC from the traffic department which controls vehicular movement in the city.

Further, toilets are being constructed at the entrance of the police staff quarters, located opposite Mandvi post office, which will adversely affect the health of the family members of police personnel.

It is claimed that the underground water connection passes adjacent to the place where the toilet facility would be constructed, posing a health hazard for residents of the staff quarters/colony.

Moreover, in the vicinity where the toilet is to be constructed, two more public toilets exist within 100 and 300m. Thus, there is no paucity of public sanitary convenience blocks in the said vicinity.

A division bench of Justice Vasanti Naik and Justice Riyaz Chagla after going through the affidavit has now asked the corporation to verify the contention of the police that there exist additional toilets in the same vicinity and posted the matter for further hearing on November 17.

Lok Seva welfare association has approached the court seeking directions to restrain senior police inspector Pydhonie, Deputy Commissioner of Police of the zone, from stopping the construction of the toilets on the footpath. The civic body had on November 5, 2015, granted permission to the petition to construct the toilet. 

However, on the police coming to know of it have been opposing the same and written to the additional police commissioner of the zone and even the Municipal Commissioner, opposing the construction. 

However, the association claims that it is entitled to construct the toilet to carry forward the Swach Bharat Abhiyan.