Court refuses to stay construction of waterless MCD toilets near temple

Additional Senior Civil Judge Ajay Gupta chose to go with the MCD’s contention that the urinals — being constructed at a cost of Rs 4.5 lakh per unit — are odour-less,waterless and extremely hygienic and would pose no health-related problems to the temple devotees or the public.

The suit had been filed by the Shree Durga Dharmik Society,comprising the devotees of the Durga Mandir at Geeta Colony. They claimed the three urinals being constructed very close to the temple would become a public nuisance. Not only was the sight of a urinal right next to the temple going to be an issue,passersby would face inconvenience because of the dirty water and foul smell,the group claimed. The toilets might also cause health-related issues to the devotees,who were apprehensive about the “outbreak of an epidemic”,the plea added.

That apart,constructing urinals at such high costs was a wastage of public funds,the group claimed.

The counsel for the MCD argued that the civic body had demolished the older urinals and was constructing new ones in the larger interest of the public. The MCD planned to upgrade 1,000 urinals in the city into waterless and environment-friendly ones in the view of the Games,he added.

Apart from the new technology helping in conservation of water and also tackling the problem of foul odour,the counsel said the MCD intends to earn revenue through advertisement rights at these spaces,the money for which would be used for more public conveniences. Urinals in Patparganj had been successfully upgraded without any inconvenience to the public,he contended.

Giving a go-ahead to the MCD,Additional Senior Civil Judge Gupta observed that the urinals were at a considerable distance from the temple and were upgraded ones. “The toilets would be for the public’s convenience. If at this stage the MCD is restrained from completing the installation work,state money would also be wasted.”