India, March 27 -- The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced plans to construct 100 new toilets for women across the city at a time when it is struggling to maintain existing public toilets.

On Tuesday, standing committee chairman Shreenath Bhimale announced the initiative. "Considering the city's growing population, the number of public toilets is inadequate. The PMC plans to construct 100 new toilets for women. Based on past experience, provisions for long-term maintenance will be included in the contract," he said.

A few years ago, the civic body had set up 'smart toilets' at locations such as Jangali Maharaj Road and Fergusson College Road but most of them are now non-functional.

As such, civic activist Vivek Velankar ques...