NGT notice to Delhi govt, EDMC on plea against public urinal

A plea alleging degradation of environment by construction of a public urinal in front of a housing society in East Delhi today led the National Green Tribunal to seek responses from the Delhi government and the municipal body.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to the Delhi government, East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) and sought their reply.
The green panel directed advocate Balendu Shekhar, appearing for EDMC, to inspect the area along with the applicant and submit a status report by tomorrow.
The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Supreme Co- operative Group Housing Society, located at Mayur Vihar Phase-I in east Delhi, seeking directions to restrain EDMC from constructing and establishing a public urinal adjacent to its main entrance.

"Gate No 1 of the applicant society is not just the main entrance for the residents particularly women and children, it is also used as the picking up/dropping point of school children of the area from their respective school buses. That just 10 meters distance from the proposed toilets across the road is the gate for the nursery children of Ahlcon School," the plea said.
The diversion of the pavement and encroachment of the road for the construction of the urinal would lead to serious congestion and hardship to the pedestrians, residents of the society and the school, it said.

The petition alleged that toilets are being constructed outside the society on the pavement in utter disregard of the order of the Supreme Court.

While dealing with a case of a garbage dump, the apex court in 2002 had asked the corporation to look for an alternate site and said if encroachment of the footpaths in and around that area is removed, it would have no difficulty in finding other location.
"Direct the Respondent No 1 (EDMC) to restore the footpath and portion of the road which has been encroached for constructing the public urinal," the plea, filed through advocate Aditya Dhawan, said.

Supreme Co-operative Group Housing Society was established by advocates and Judges and inhabited by its members since 1990. It has 301 flats, the plea said.