Indore has been declared an open defecation-free (ODF) city under ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ survey of the Government of India by the Union Government. Expressing satisfaction over this achievement, Indore Mayor Malini Gaud here said this has been possible with the collective of efforts of all city people, NGOs and an awareness created by print and electronic media.
Talking to media persons Gaud said Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has been working continuously for the past 18 months towards making Indore among one of the cleanest cities of the country and accordingly it has constructed 12549 individual toilets, more than 200 urinals, 190 community and public toilets, 400 modular and 16 mobile toilets in association with NGOs and on PPP model so as to prevent people urinating and defecating in public.
Apart from constructing toilets in the city, the civic body ran many programs, campaigns on social, print and electronic media to create awareness related to cleanliness and use of toilets.
In addition to this all senior officials of the city conducted inspection of all the wards of the city to check open defecation, she said adding that the IMC also took up ‘Roko- toko’ initiative under which the volunteers stopped the people from going put in the open.
Besides the IMC also started ‘Dabba Gang’, under which residents were urged to make groups to stop open defecation by making noise with the dabbas they carried.
She said several NGO's were also roped in awareness campaign. The volunteers also went in many parts of the city and helped in creating awareness through traditional media like Nukkad Natak.
The Mayor however, said that it would be quite challenging job to ensure and maintain ODF status of the city and for that purpose whatever would be required, we would do that.
She said getting an ODF status for the city is the first step for making Indore literally clean city in all possible and now we are working towards making the city to become cleanest among all 500 cities across the country, under the Swachh Bharat campaign of the Government of India.
With the announcement of city area being declared ODF, Indore is poised to receive 150 extra points for the ranking of cleanest city under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The list is prepared on basis of marks scored for availability of infrastructure and service levels related to sanitation such as individual household toilets, public and community toilets and collection, transportation and processing of municipal solid waste.
In January last year, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan declared 610 villages under 312 village Panchayats in Indore district as open defecation-free.