LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) - The Lahore High Court has expressed concern over the poor condition of public toilets and issued important directions, declaring access to clean public toilets a basic constitutional right of every citizen.
Justice Rahil Kamran Sheikh issued the ruling on a petition filed by Azhar Siddique, head of the Judicial Activism Panel, regarding the provision and condition of public toilets.
The court directed authorities to immediately restore non-functional and damaged toilets and submit a comprehensive report on water supply, sanitation, drainage, and cleanliness arrangements.
The court instructed the Secretary Local Government to submit complete details of public toilets across Punjab at city, rural, district, and tehsil levels, along with an assessment of whether existing facilities are sufficient according to population needs.
Justice Rahil Kamran Sheikh observed that negligence in providing basic facilities is unacceptable and areas lacking such services should be given immediate priority.
The judgment stated that a healthy environment is a right of every citizen, while separate and suitable facilities for women, children, elderly people, transgender persons, and persons with disabilities are the state’s responsibility.
The court noted that Punjab currently has 1,420 public toilets, which are insufficient, while 127 non-functional toilets have further worsened the situation.
It also termed the availability of only 10 toilets for persons with disabilities and five for transgender persons as highly inadequate.
The court declared the report regarding the proposed construction of 702 additional public toilets incomplete, noting that although the estimated cost of the project exceeds Rs928 million, complete details were not provided.
The Lahore High Court emphasized that the public toilet system must be transparent, equal, and effective, while the current situation requires urgent measures.
The court directed the Secretary Local Government to submit a detailed report one week before the next hearing scheduled for September 16.