HC asks civic body to provide toilets for Pandharpur fest

The Bombay High Court today asked the Solapur District Collector and the Chief Executive Officer of Pandharpur Municipal Council to provide toilets in the pilgrim town ahead of the Ashadhi Ekadashi festival in July.
A division bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka was hearing a public interest litigation which alleges that there aren't enough public toilets in the town and the human waste is still collected through manual scavenging.
The town's famous Vitthal temple attracts lakhs of devotees on Ashadhi Ekadashi every year.
The judges also asked the State Government to file an 'Action Taken Report' by June 11.
The bench directed the Collector to nominate an officer of the rank of Deputy Collector to ensure a better coordination with the local municipal body for providing toilets.

The High Court had earlier expressed anguish over Maharashtra Government's apathy towards the plight of manual scavengers in Pandharpur. It would "shock the conscience" of anybody to know that this inhuman practice continued unabated in the town, the judges had said.

In October 2009, Pandharpur Municipal Council had forwarded a Rs 21-crore proposal to the Maharashtra government for procuring 5,321 mobile toilets. But the government was yet to approve it, the court was told.
The judges had earlier directed the government to release Rs 5 crore for mobile toilets.
The next hearing of the PIL would be on June 13.