Joao Sousa M | NT
MARGAO: Despite heavy spending, just 49 of the 214 wards have so far been declared open-defecation free as per the protocol of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in the areas of all the 13 municipal councils and the Corporation of the City of Panaji.
The Centre has so far sanctioned Rs 829 lakh as its contribution to the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) since 2014.
As per information, less than 25 per cent of the total wards in all the urban areas are meeting the criteria laid down by the ministry for the wards be declared as open defecation free despite the Goa State Urban Livelihood Mission having declared a total of 115 wards as open defecation free while 66 wards are yet to meet the protocol.
As per the Union government data, a copy of which is in possession of ‘The Navhind Times’, the Centre provided Rs 317 lakh in 2014-15, while in 2015-16 it released another Rs 304 lakh, while in 2016-17 the state received Rs 208 lakh.
Sources informed that under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Centre contributes a minimum of 25 per cent funds as its share towards public toilet projects. It is learnt that the Goa State Urban Livelihood Mission had carried out a survey in 2016 and identified 2011 households which do not have access to individual toilets.
Further, a total of 1722 households had land for construction of toilets.
Ironically, Mormugao Municipal Council tops the urban areas with 1543 households not having toilets of which just 688 households have land available for construction of the same.
This is followed by Margao which has 193 households with no toilet access but have land available while the Corporation of the City of Panaji has land available for 164 of the 234 households for construction of toilets.
Down south, Curchorem Cacora Municipal Council has a total of 48 households without toilets while just 17 have land available, while Cuncolim and Valpoi have land available for 75 identified houses for construction of toilets.
Similarly, in Canacona, a total of 102 households have been identified while just 42 have land available while in Quepem, 15 of the 93 households have land available to build toilets while in Ponda, none of 59 households has land available.
In Mapusa, just 151 of the 234 households have land available for construction of toilets. While in Bicholim, for 38 houses land is not available. Of the 226 houses, just 188 have land available to construct toilets.
Ironically, Quepem and Mormugao Municipal Councils also top with the highest number of wards to be declared open defecation free. While in Quepem, 10 of the 11 wards have been declared ODF, in Momugao 19 of the 25 wards have been declared open defecation free.
Interestingly, Margao Municipal Council has declared 7 of the 25 wards as open defecation free; CCP has so far declared 16 of the 30 wards; Canacona has 5 of the 10 wards as ODF, Sanquelim (6/11), Valpoi (7/10), Cuncolim (5/12), Curchorem (9/14), Sanguem (4/10), Pernem (8/10), Mapusa (8/20), while Ponda 8/14. Bicholim Municipal Council has the least with just three of the 12 wards.