The sudden unrest erupted in Sukurhuttu village under Kanke Police Station on June 5 was suppressed very next day with 64 people involved in stone pelting and hurting dozens including police personnel landing in jail. But the cause that led to the unrest - women going for defecation in open near a pond and unemployed youth gangs in their hangover of mild drugs, liquor and tobacco passing lewd remarks on them - exists as apparent as ever inviting another such spark anytime.
The village with roughly a population of 20,000 people and some 5,000 households is destined to look around nature even for nature's call. Thanks to all ignorant and shameless public representatives at village level. "People are not willing to construct toilets for one reason or the other, most of the time due to financial restrictions even after my repeated requests. I can't go and construct toilets for them on my own," said Sukurhuttu (North) Mukhiya Beena Devi on Sunday.
Ironically enough, the village that was honoured with first India Posts Payment Bank branches in State last year is suffering from lack of willpower to construct toilets. And, Beena Devi admits it without any guilt.
"We have around Rs 2 lakh to be diverted to construct toilets. But it will happen only after
consultation of other members of Panchayat Samiti, who don't appear to take it on priority basis," said the Mukhiya.
This is why the village which is less than 20 Kilometers away from the State Capital is happy with less than 200 households having a toilet constructed in village so far in an era when the State desires to become Open Defecation Free (ODF) by as early as next year.
"lack of awareness is bigger issue here. But I personally believe that government is also not so serious. We have asked the BDO and other officials to release funds for toilet construction, but they have not paid any attention to this so far," said Badal Singh Munda, a villager.
"Actually we have been working on various models of fund availability for ODF to beneficiaries. Secondly, Kanke
Sans toilets, Sukurhuttu women still forced to open defecation block, as per my knowledge, has been added in this year's target of ODF itself. It was not a target block for previous year. So, no wonder that district administration might have not been so serious on the issue so far in Sukurhuttu," said Drinking Water and Sanitation Department Principal Secretary AP Singh.
He added that this was a real problem in blocks that were not in priority list during last year that the individuals who didn't come forward to get a toilet constructed by their own were left behind.