PUNE: Pimpri-Chinchwad, with a population of 15 lakh, needs at least 1,400 public toilets. Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's (PCMC) health officer R B Chavan said, "There are 3,000 toilets for 1.4 lakh slum population and 50 per cent are for women."

Chavan said the civic body does not get suitable land for constructing toilet blocks and hence they were unable to construct public toilet blocks in many parts of the municipal limits. Many villagers who own land build chawls to rent out rooms to migrant labourers, but do not provide toilets. These people are dependent on the public toilets constructed by PCMC, he said.

The civic body began constructing the underground drainage system from 1978 and has completed it in most of the old areas. People have been asked to connect their toilets to the underground drainage system.

The public toilets are also unclean. Activist Maruti Bhapkar said, "There is no water, doors are missing as are the bolts and windows. People must not damage public toilets." Sulabha Ubale, group leader of Shiv Sena corporators in PCMC said, "Women are the worst affected as there are no public toilets in public places for them. The PCMC should instal pay-and-use toilets."