Located at the confluence of rivers Ganga and Gomti on the Varanasi-Ghazipur border, Kaithi village was declared open defecation-free back in 2012. However, the ground reality is far different.
While men defecate in the open along the Ganga or on the roads, women have to find a place covered by crops or bushes every morning.
Hundreds of villagers from the Malahia, Tiyaran, Bharauti and Sonekar communities allege foul play in selection of beneficiaries for the
toilet scheme. Many
toilets are constructed without soak pits and are connected to drains taking waste in the Ganga.
Kaithi village still awaits toilets under ODF scheme
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Homes in Malahia and Tiyaran area of Kaithi village still awaits toilets under ODF scheme
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Homes in Malahia and Tiyaran area of Kaithi village still awaits toilets under ODF scheme
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A woman in Malahia area of Kaithi showing a pit, which was covered after fund or material for toilet construction was not given to her
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Sharda showing pit dug-up with investment of Rs 1100 behind her hut but no further action was taken for toilet construction under ODF scheme
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Peda and Sharda alleging that they were cheated by gram Pradhan and block development officials as on their promise they invested Rs 1100 for digging pit but no further action was taken for toilet construction under ODF scheme
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Shyamlal at Tiyaran locality of Kaithi showing bricks given in the name of clean toilet construction under ODF scheme. He also refilled the pit dug-up for toilet on failing to get funds or other construction material
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Urmila and Shakuntala of Tiyaran locality of Kaithi say they don’t have option than going along river Ganga for open defecation
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Tirsu Prajapati at Malahia in Kaithi recalls three months back some people from block office had come to enquire whether people of area have their own toilet
Peda and Sharda, a Malahia couple, said, “We had been assured a toilet by the gram pradhan after which we somehow arranged for Rs 1,100 and requested labourers to dig the pit. However, we were not given cash or material for toilet construction.”
Like them, a number of people dug up pits on getting similar assurance from the pradhan and block development officials. However, with no money for construction, the pits remained and no progress was made. Most people eventually refilled the pits as there were accidents with children and cattle falling in them.
Shakuntala Devi, another resident, said, “Men go in the open along the Ganga while women go to areas covered by crops or bushes. When the river is in spate, they sit along roads.”
In a Sonekar-dominated hamlet, Mohan Sonekar said that for 35 families, there are seven toilets. The rest, he said, were not given any aid.
Gram pradhan Ajay Yadav said, “Kaithi has a population of 20,000 in 1,500 households. It was given 100 toilets under ODF scheme in 2014-15 and 500 in 2016-17. Many people have connected their toilets with drains carrying liquid waste into the Ganga instead of digging soak pits as per prescribed norms.”
In 2012, on the basis of a baseline survey, 1,332 villages were identified to be made ODF. Of these, 713 villages, including Kaithi, were declared ODF. However, district panchayati raj officer Shashwat Anand Singh said that during verification by the ODF division, it was found that half of the eligible families had not received the benefits of the scheme.
To achieve the target of ODF villages, a fresh government order has now been issued. A survey has to be completed by November-end. Additional and previously uncovered families have to be detected to provide them benefits.
Chief development officer Gaurang Rathi said claims of disposing waste in Ganga through drains would be investigated.
Kaithi village was declared open defecation-free back in 2012. However, the ground reality is far different.
