Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said all Delhi slums and colonies will be made open-defecation free (ODF) by March 31 next year.
“The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is a party of the poor. We got 67 of the 70 Assembly seats because the poor voted for us. Our Government has constructed 10,583 toilets in two years, which is a record,” the Chief Minister said while addressing a gathering after inaugurating 110 public toilets at Madrasi Basti at lajpat Nagar in South Delhi.
“Defecation in the open is the main problem for slum dwellers, especially women. A total of 810 new public toilets have been constructed across the city,” the AAP leader said.
The Chief Minister said his Cabinet had earlier decided that shanties constructed before January 1, 2015, will not be razed until owners get alternate dwellings. He said work on construction of 583 brick houses for slum dwellers in Sangam Vihar has started and would be completed in a few months.
Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board has been entrusted with the task of providing basic amenities in JJ bastis such as Community toilets/ Jan Suvidha Complexes (JSC) for the people residing in these bastis.
There are approximately 1310 jhuggis in this JJ Basti, and so far in the absence of any toilet the JJ dwellers were forced to defecate in the open near the railway line. “The matter was taken up with the land Owning Agency, i.e. Railway Authorities to give the permission for construction of community toilet for welfare of the JJ dwellers and to improve the environment. The Railway granted the permission for construction of temporary structure. DUSIB has constructed 110 seater prefab toilet complex to eliminate the open-defecation in this basti,” said a statement.
Other locations where new community toilets have become functional on Thursday are Okhla DTC Depot, Sudhir camp Kalkaji, Kalander Colony near Bhalswa Dairy, Dalit Camp Dakshinpuri, K-Block Mangolpuri, JJC B-Block Paschim Vihar, Kamla Nehru Camp Kirti Nagar, JJ camp Y Block Naraina, Jai Hind Camp Vasant Kunj, New Priyanka Camp near Sarita Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Inder Puri, Rajokari Pahari, Kusumpur Pahari Mehrauli, Dilshad Garden, Anand Parbat, Vishnu Mandir Marg Regurpura and Hardyan Singh Road Karol Bagh.