BMC Adopts Strategies Against Open Defecation

Bhubaneswar: In order to fight open defecation and ensure cleaner and healthier atmosphere, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has adopted planned strategies.

As per the decision taken at a meeting presided over by BMC Additional Commissioner Subham Saxena here on Friday, BMC will construct community toilets within 500 meters distance of slums if some households having no land to construct individual house hold latrines. The urban local body will construct public toilet with in 1 km distance of each commercial area across the city. Citizens can also use the toilets inside all fuel pumps in the city.

Across the Temple City, 55 self-help group (SHG) federations shall motivate and ensure construction and use of sanitary individual household latrines and persuade SHGs to submit Open Defecation Free (ODF) Declaration.

In order to tackle defecating due to events and exhibition, five mobile toilets shall be procured to tackle the situation. Besides, 470 schools within BMC area shall ensure sanitary toilets at their school premises and would submit ODF declaration by the schools.

All Resident Welfare Associations shall ensure ODF and submit ODF declaration for non slums area. The ward officers/sanitary inspectors will have to identify insanitary toilet in non slums areas.

While it was decided to levy a fine of Rs 50 per person for defecating in the open, a massive awareness-cum-behaviour change communication (BCC) drive will be implemented soon across the city to declare 13 wards, open defecation free (ODF).

Members present at the meeting suggested formation of surveillance committees (Nigranicommittee) in all slums for monitoring and to make slums ODF. The surveillance committees are likely to have children as their members to make the journey smoother and effective.

Deputy Commissioner, Sanitation, Lalatendu Sahu, Zonal Deputy Commissioners Binay Kumar Dash, Subhranshu Mishra and Diptirani Sahu and called for a target-oriented plan so that the objectives would be achieved in a time-bound manner.

Community organisers, officials of BMC, different line departments of the state government and members from Swachh Bhubaneswar Abhiyan Cell and Communication Cell were present at the meeting.