B.PAC Audit Finds Only Seven of 105 Functional Bengaluru Public Toilets Accessible

A citizen-led audit of 142 public toilets across the Greater Bengaluru Authority jurisdictions has revealed widespread accessibility failures, with only seven functional units offering accessible facilities for persons with disabilities. The audit, conducted in areas including South Bengaluru, highlighted severe infrastructure gaps across the city, where independent initiatives such as two disability-friendly park toilets in Koramangala remain rare exceptions.

The inspection was carried out by B.PAC's Civic Leadership Incubator Program (B.CLIP) civic leaders and interns across Central, North, West, and South jurisdictions. Of the 142 facilities surveyed, 105 were functional while 37 were found to be non-functional.

Among the 105 functional toilets, only nine (8.57%) were equipped with ramps, and just seven (6.67%) provided accessible toilet facilities. Only a single toilet had a separate accessible washbasin. The audit found that South Bengaluru had zero toilets with ramps or accessible facilities among those inspected.

Raghavendra Poojari H S, Programme Lead at B.PAC, stated that the findings demonstrated significant gaps in meeting the accessibility requirements under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and the National Building Code. He noted that many facilities lacked grab rails, wider doors, and accessible washbasins, calling for mandatory universal accessibility standards in renovations and new facilities planned by BSWML and the Greater Bengaluru Authority.

Wheelchair users described the daily obstacles posed by the city's inadequate sanitation infrastructure. International wheelchair tennis athlete Shilpa KP noted that stairs, narrow entrances, and lack of ramps force disabled individuals to depend on others, compromising independence, privacy, and dignity.

Prateek Khandelwal, founder of Ramp My City, which built two disability-friendly toilets in Koramangala parks and two at Lalbagh's east and west gates, emphasised that accessible infrastructure requires step-free access, wide entrances, manoeuvring space, grab bars, and regular maintenance.