The Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed on Wednesday that Punjab has a very limited number of public sanitation facilities for transgender persons and people with disabilities. According to a report submitted by the Secretary of Local Government, the province has 1,420 public toilets, of which 1,293 are functional while 127 are non-functional.
Breakdown of Public Toilets in Punjab
The report stated that 672 public toilets are designated for men and 568 for women. However, only five public toilets are available for transgender persons and 10 for people with disabilities across Punjab.
Court Hearing Details
The matter came before Justice Raheel Kamran during the hearing of a petition filed by lawyer Azhar Siddique on behalf of the Judicial Activism Panel. During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the shortage of public toilets is creating difficulties for citizens, particularly vulnerable groups requiring accessible and separate facilities.
The court directed the petitioner’s lawyer to present detailed arguments at the next hearing after reviewing the report submitted by the authorities.
