The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked municipal corporations here to explore the possibility of installing public toilets similar to the ones built by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said on a pilot basis in some areas, the civic bodies should adopt the NDMC model for public toilets, which include facilities such as toilet paper, sanitary napkin and dispensers.

It directed the NDMC to provide within three days their operating model to the corporations for consideration by their commissioners. The bench directed that the corporations should positively consider the direction of the court and place a report before it on March 21, the next date of hearing. The court's direction came during the hearing of a plea by Delhi-resident Gokulesh Prasad, seeking toilet facilities for slum dwellers of the Shahbad dairy area in outer Delhi.

The plea has also sought direction to the authorities to ensure the installation of clean and proper lavatories for poor residents of "jhuggi jhopris" (slums) in the national capital of Delhi, as well as other parts of the country.

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