Challans there but no public toilets? Court pulls up NHAI

**Challans There but No Public Toilets? Court Pulls Up NHAI**

*By Chanshimla Varah | Sep 18, 2025, 06:11 PM*

The Kerala High Court has expressed strong criticism of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for failing to provide and maintain public toilet facilities along national highways.

### Public Inconvenience Highlighted

The remarks came during a hearing of an appeal from Kerala’s petroleum dealers association. The appeal challenged a single judge’s earlier order mandating petrol pumps on national highways to keep their washrooms open to the public at all times.

Justice Amit Rawal, one of the judges on the Division Bench, recounted his recent journey from Jodhpur to Ranthambore. He highlighted the absence of public toilets on that long highway stretch. “Recently, when I was traveling from Jodhpur to Ranthambore, we could not find a single public toilet on the NH. It is such a long stretch. We oversped and got four challans. So challans are there but no public toilet,” he remarked, emphasizing the inconvenience faced by travelers.

### International Comparison

Justice Rawal also compared the situation in India with that in other countries. He noted, “Basically, this is the duty of the NHAI. Frankly speaking, if you go any foreign country, after you cover a certain distance you will always find a convenience stop. [In India] Whatever National Highways toilets are there, they are not working. Nobody is there. Ultimately the entire brunt has fallen on them (petrol pump owners). This is very, very bad.”

### Modification of the Earlier Order

The Division Bench, comprising Justices Amit Rawal and PV Balakrishnan, modified the earlier directive. The revised order states that petrol pumps not located directly on national highways may decide at their discretion whether to allow public use of their toilet facilities. However, these toilets must remain accessible to customers and transit travelers.

For petrol pumps situated along national highways, the court stipulated that washrooms should be available to customers, transit travelers, and staff only during working hours.

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The order underscores the pressing need for improved sanitation amenities on national highways, placing greater responsibility on the NHAI to ensure public convenience alongside law enforcement.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/india/we-get-challans-but-no-public-toilets-court-to-nhai/story