In Modi's adopted village, many still go outdoors

VARANASI: Jayapur, the first village adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 as part of the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna in 2014, has new toilets, almost 200 in surplus, and is officially open defecation free. However, open defecation is still a huge problem in the village.

In the village, 624 individual toilets have been constructed for 430 families — 194 more than required — by the government and NGOs at a cost of Rs 98.88 lakh.

Despite surplus toilets in the village, people still seem to prefer defecating in the open. Some villagers blame bad construction of toilets, which are already in a dilapidated condition, and others blame old habits.

In a reality check, TOI found many toilets filthy, broken and locked — consequently not in use. Some toilets were found in remote orchards, away from the households, making their use impossible.

To make things worse, some toilets don't have provision for water and others are not connected to sewage systems. The bio-toilets were also in a pathetic condition and without any water supply. "See, how we can use this toilet?" asked Shivnath, showing his broken toilet.

Despite the construction of surplus toilets in the village, many households still lack this basic facility. "Ek hi parivar me kai shauchalaya ban gaye, lekin humko toh diya hi nahi gaya (Some families were facilitated with many toilets, but I did not get even one)," said Raja Ram, a Jayapur resident. Along with Shanti Devi, a widow, he blamed gram pradhan Narayan Patel for the lopsided distribution of toilets in the village.