A team of city transgenders has come forward to campaign against open defecation in the Smart District. The group of 31 transgenders also took out awareness rallies in Satyakali Behera Sahi Basti in Satyanagar area recently and created a wonderful impact to inspire others and making the area cleaner and safer for all.
Starting on June 1 they have now resolved to spread the campaign to other slums within the Bhubaneswar Town Centre District (BTCD) area and wipe out open defecation.
It can be mentioned here that the Bhubaneswar Smart City limited (BSCl) in association with the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has taken up an effective strategy to end open defecation and has engaged Feedback Foundation to make all the 24 slums in the entire BTCD area Open Defecation Free (ODF).
So far, six slums such as Kalinga Basti, Birsamunda I and II, Kathagola Basti, Rajkumar Basti and Timber Colony Basti have become ODF and this week two more are going to attain ODF status.
Swarna, a leading transgender said, “We started a vigorous campaign against open defecation since June 1 as we have realised that it has become the root cause of maximum water-borne diseases in the slums. Now through our activism many people have constructed new toilets and some have come forward and converted their open toilets to safe ones. Many are going to add safety tanks.’’
The group of 31 transgenders along with the Nirgrani Committee and child campaigners (Banar Sena) has taken up the campaign.