Despite Swachh Bharat campaign, no toilets in slum near Yamuna: PIL in HC

The Delhi High Court today sought responses from the Centre and AAP government on a PIL claiming lack of toilet facilities in a slum near Yamuna despite the much publicised Swachh Bharat campaign on cleanliness.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Centre, Delhi government, police, DDA and DUSIB and directed them to inspect the slum and file a report on the situation there before August 28, the next date of hearing.

The court was hearing a PIL by three law students, Shabnam, Sonali Chauhan and Nitesh Kumar Mishra, who have claimed in their plea that the slum at Sarai Kale Khan area in south Delhi here has no toilets, bathrooms and anganwadis.

The students have said that the anganwadis were needed to provide nutritious food to the poor and deprived children of the slum.

The petition has claimed that despite thousands of crores of rupees being spent on Swachh Bharat campaign, hundreds of residents of the slum are defecating in the open due to lack of toilets.

The public interest litigation (PIL) also claimed that authorities were not providing the facilities on the ground that the slum was located on the river bed of Yamuna, despite the fact that there was a power grid and electric crematorium in the near vicinity.

Apart from the lack of toilet facilities, the plea has also claimed that the slum faces drinking water problems due to lack of permanent supply, and tankers never deliver water timely.