Now, lathi-wielding women to combat open defecation

KANPUR: Along the lines of `dhol-nagada' gang, Kanpur municipal corporation (KMC) has now armed women employees with `lathis' to curb open defecation.

The gangs will beat lathis on roads and make noise if they come across anyone defecating in open.

The officials of KMC said that `dhol', `nagara' teams comprising male employees and drummers have already been formed. "We are getting positive results with the initiatives. Now, each wards of the city will have lathi-weilding gangs of women, who will beat `lathis' on roads to make people ashamed of their act. We plan to make the city ODF," municipal commissioner Avinash Singh said.

"We have identified such places in 110 wards of the city, where people go to attend the nature's call, garbage dumping sites, rail tracks and abandoned private and government structures and school fields. The women gang members are deputed at such places between 4am and 8am," a KMC official said. Local residents and social volunteers have also been made part of the initiative, who will make aware people against the menace and also inform them about its harms.

The women employees will be felicitated. New toilets would also be constructed at these places.