To make the city open defecation-free, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken up a strong stand to strategise its efforts to stop people from using open grounds for defecation.
At a meeting, it was decided to impose a fine of Rs 50 per person for defecating in the open, a massive awareness-cum-behaviour change communication (BCC) drive will be implemented soon across the city to declare 13 wards, open defecation-free (ODF).
The meeting presided over by Additional Municipal Commissioner Subham Saxena was attended by Deputy Commissioner Sanitation lalatendu Sahu and Zonal Deputy Commissioners Binay Kumar Dash, Subhranshu Mishra and Diptirani Sahu.
Community organisers, BMC and line department officials and members from Swachh Bhubaneswar Abhiyan Cell and Communication Cell were present at the meeting.
It was also decided that BMC would construct community toilets within 500 meter distance of slums if some households having no land to construct latrines. The urban local body will construct public toilet with in 1 km distance of each commercial area across the city. Citizens can also use the toilets inside all fuel pumps in the city.
While steps would be taken for checking defecation at events and exhibition sites, 470 schools in the city would have toilets.
It was also suggested to have surveillance committees (Nigrani committee) in all slums for monitoring and to making slums ODF. The surveillance committees are likely to have children as their members to make the journey smoother and effective.