Making Subarnapur district Open Defecation-Free (ODF) seems to be a distant dream due to slow progress of construction of toilets or individual household latrines (IHHl) and incomplete construction works by the contractors.
While all panchayats have been included under the mission and toilet construction is going on at full speed, but the reality is still grim.
Even today, the villagers of Subarnapur district are forced to go out to relieve themselves in grounds outside while they look for pond embankments to attend to natures call.
While the administration is undertaking programmes on cleanliness, due to a nexus between the contractors and the officials of the Swachh Bharat Mission posted for Subarnapur district, peoples are deprived of their rights.
On the other hand, the district administration has set June this year as the deadline to completely do way with ODF. District Collector Dasirathi Satpathy held a coordination meeting of various departments to complete the task within the deadline. He warned of stern action against officials who fail in their duty to make the mission successful. Satpathy asked the authorities concerned to submit the report on the status of the availability of latrines for students in primary and high schools by March 15.
Action will be taken against those who would fail to comply with the order, he added.
The meeting was informed that under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, over 1.35 lakh latrins would be constructed in the district out of which 77,986 had been done. Sonepur block leads the list with 18,293 latrines followed by Birmaharajpur block with 15,132 latrines.
To accelerate the ongoing works, nodal officers have been deputed at the block levels to supervise work of the projects. They will tour the blocks to supervise the work and report to the Collector.