GHMC has, on Monday, announced 135 out of the 150 wards as open defecation free (ODF). Efforts are on to declare the remaining too as ODF by August 15 as per the directions of the Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao, officials informed.
Five wards in North Zone, four in Central Zone, two in South Zone, three in West Zone, and one in East Zone are yet to be declared ODF.
Multi-pronged strategy
The multi-pronged strategy of GHMC to have an open defecation-free city includes sanction of toilets to 2,034 people who lacked the sanitation facilities.
A total of 1,486 of these toilets have been built and geo-tagged so as to rule out irregularities, a press note from the GHMC informed.
Further, the government has permitted construction of toilets in the illegally constructed houses of the poor near nalas, tanks and on the government lands. Special approval with conditions have been granted to these.
Measures such as construction of community toilets, convincing the managements of fuel filling stations and hotels to allow public to use their toilets, and installation of pre-fabricated community toilets, too have paid off, the note said.