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Time of India
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Toilets in petrol pumps not for public use: Kerala HC
KOCHI: Kerala high court, in an interim order, directed the state govt not to compel owners of petroleum retail outlets to provide public access to toilets located on their premises. Justice C S Dias gave the order on a petition filed by Petroleum Traders Welfare and Legal Service Society, a registered association of petroleum retail dealers, and four of its members who own petrol bunks, challenging the actions of local self-govt institutions, including Thiruvananthapuram corporation. The petitioners opposed the authorities' move to convert privately maintained toilets within petrol bunks into public toilets, citing the revised guidelines of the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban. The revised norms mandate public access to toilets at high-footfall locations, including petrol pumps, to improve urban sanitation, and the implementation lies with local bodies. The court adjourned the matter to July 17. The petitioners alleged that local authorities were illegally treating these privately maintained toilets as public facilities. Petitioners cite fire risk The petitioners claimed that posters had been pasted in conspicuous areas of the toilets, including on switches, apparently for collecting public feedback. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo QR code-enabled posters seeking feedback had also been affixed inside the toilets, they stated. As a result of these measures, many members of the public approach retail outlets demanding toilet access, disrupting the regular operations of the petrol pumps. Tourist buses often arrive at these outlets, insisting that passengers be allowed to use the toilets, the petitioners said. The petitioners also raised serious security concerns, contending that unauthorised public access to fuel retail outlets would significantly increase the risk of fire and other catastrophic incidents, given the influx of people into what is a high risk, restricted area.
New Indian Express
19-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Kerala HC says no to opening toilets at private petrol pumps for general public use
KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has directed the state government and local self-government institutions not to require that toilets in private petroleum retail outlets in Kerala be opened for public use. The court issued the order on a petition filed by the Petroleum Traders Welfare and Legal Service Society, an association of 300 retail outlet dealers, against a government order to convert their private toilets into public facilities. The petitioners contended that they were being forced to open the private toilets maintained by them at the outlets for the emergency needs of customers to the public. They also alleged that the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, as well as certain other local bodies, had pasted posters in some of the retail outlets to give the impression that the toilets are public toilets. The petitioners said treating toilets in private petroleum retail outlets, which are classified as high-risk zone, as public facilities would lead to unauthorised access. Also, chances of fire breaking out and other catastrophe are very high when a large number of people access the retail outlets in an unauthorised manner. Suman Chakravarthy, the standing counsel for the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, submitted that it is the duty of the dealers at the petrol pumps to ensure neat and safe toilet facilities for the public, and it is the duty of the LSG department to ensure that the dealers complied with it. In 2013, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had issued a circular stating that drinking water and toilet facilities at such outlets shall be accessible to the public around the clock. Recently, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Pathanamthitta, had ordered a petrol pump owner to pay Rs 1.65 lakh as compensation to a teacher for not letting her use the toilet on the premises. The complaint was lodged by C A Jayakumari, a resident of Ezhakulam in Pathanamthitta, against the owner of the filling station in Payyoli, Kozhikode.
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Govt cannot insist toilets in petroleum retail outlets be opened for public: HC
The Kerala High Court has issued an interim order stating that the government cannot insist that toilets in private petroleum retail outlets be allowed for use by members of the public. The order came on a petition filed by the Petroleum Traders Welfare and Legal Service Society and five retailers challenging the move of the government and local bodies to convert these toilets as public toilets. They contended that private toilets they maintained at their retail outlets for emergency use by customers were often being forced to be opened for public use. The Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation and many local bodies even pasted posters in some of the retail outlets, giving the impression that these were public toilets. Many members of the public and even those who arrived in tourist buses were thus seeking access to the toilets, disrupting regular functioning of the outlets and sometimes leading to altercations within the high-risk premises. Citing protection under Article 300A of the Constitution, the retailers contended that toilets they built within their premises were private property.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Plea in Kerala HC against converting fuel bunk toilets into public facilities as per revised Swachh guidelines
Kochi: A petition has been filed in the high court challenging the action of the local self-govt institutions, which convert the private toilets on the premises of the petroleum retail outlets to public toilets as per the revised guidelines of the Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban. Justice C S Dias, on the petition filed by the Petroleum Traders Welfare and Legal Service Society and four of its members who own petrol bunks, directed the govt to produce the revised guidelines of the Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban. The court further adjourned the petition to Monday. The petitioners stated in the petition that the local self-govt authorities were illegally converting/treating private toilets maintained within the premises of their retail outlets as public toilets and pasting posters on a conspicuous portion of the toilets along with certain switches that seem to indicate that the same is to be used for feedback. Similarly, posters including QR codes were also affixed in toilets for feedback, they stated. The petitioners argued that the alleged action of the local self-govt institutions is a violation of Article 300A of the Constitution, which guarantees protection from being deprived of the proper and independent enjoyment of private properties falling within the realm of private ownership. They further raised security concerns, contending that the decision would lead to unauthorised public access to petrol retail outlets, significantly increasing the risk of fire and other catastrophic incidents due to the influx of people in a restricted area. The petitioners further sought a directive to the state govt and the local self-govt institutions to refrain from converting/treating private toilets maintained within the premises of the petrol retail outlets within the state as public toilets and also for a general declaration against treating such private toilets as public toilets. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
