ODF tag distant dream for city

Bhubaneswar: The open defecation free (ODF) tag for the capital city remains elusive as the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has failed to provide adequate toilets in all areas, especially in slums.
A report of the slum settlement additional standing committee of the BMC revealed that the civic body received 1,412 applications for the construction of household latrines under the Biju Aadarsh Yojana. However, 929 of these applications or nearly 66% were rejected on various grounds, including lack of space for construction of latrines, especially in the slum areas. The committee, headed by corporator Mahamaya Swain, held a meeting last month where it was decided that to resolve the matter, a technical committee, comprising the junior sanitation officer and community organiser, will be formed. The technical committee will find out the reasons behind the rejection of such a high number of applications. The committee will also explore options for construction of community toilets if individual latrines cannot be built.
“We have discussed the matter and decided to form the technical team. The team will review the rejected form and ascertain its reason. We have also given a proposal to revise the pay structure to the beneficiaries,” Swain said.
The civic body provides Rs 8,000 for construction of household latrine to each beneficiary, while Rs 8,000 goes to the slum development committee. If the latrine cannot be constructed for any reason, the BMC can construct community toilets.