The Modi Government has taken its flagship Swachchh Bharat Mission (SBM) to even those who have encroached upon the Government land in the urban areas across the country.
The Union Urban Development Ministry, which is supervising the SBM in the urban areas, has recently allowed the States and municipalities to fund construction of individual and community toilets for the slum dwellers living on the Government land in the country.
Sources in the UD Ministry said that the move followed need to ensure public health in the slums and ‘urgency’ of implementing the mission which aims to ensure cleanliness and make the country open-defecation free by 2019.
Recently, the Faridabad Municipality had sought clarification from the Centre asking if the individual latrines can be constructed in the shanties on the Government land. “They were unclear if the fund doled out under the SBM can be utilised for the benefits of the squatters on the Government land,” said sources in the Ministry.
When contacted, UD Joint Secretary and SBM Director, Praveen Prakash said that the construction of toilets have been allowed on the Government land if the beneficiary is residing on it and the structure would be admissible for funding as per the Swachchh Bharat guidelines.
“This is being permitted as mostly the slums lack safe drinking water as well as proper sewerage services while there are no toilets and people defecate in the open. As a result, both household wastes and human generated wastes mix directly or indirectly into the underground water, causing myriad of health and environmental problems,” he said.
Prakash, however, made it clear that only pre-fab material will be allowed for construction of the toilets in the houses and community in such areas.
“We have also made it clear that funding of such structures does not entitle them the right of the land. The toilet structure can be demolished once the inhabitants are relocated to another place or are asked to shift,” said the official.
Prakash said no study has been conducted to find out the number of toilets that will be needed to be constructed in the slums on the encroached land. Under the mission in urban areas, construction of 1.04 crore household toilets and 5.28 lakh community and public toilet seats besides 100 per cent door to door collection of solid waste and its scientific disposal are envisaged at a total cost of Rs66,009 crore.
Taking humanitarian approach, various courts have also directed making provisions for electricity and water to the poor residing on the government land. So why they should be deprived of toilets and allowed to defecate in open, he argued.
According to the 2011 Census, 17.4 per cent of urban India’s population lives in slums. Most of the slum dwellers occupied Government land.