Uttar Pradesh has scored a ‘duck’ after Union Government declared 362 towns and cities in 15 States free of open defecation with Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra topping the chart. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan aims to make the whole of India open-defecation-free by 2019. A senior official in the Government told The Pioneer that Praveen Prakash, joint secretary, Union Urban Development Ministry has sent a list about towns and States that have been declared ODF (Open Defecation Free) but unfortunately UP has failed to find a place in this list. “The UP Government is working in this direction. It is a big State. We need resources. Unfortunately the Centre has not released adequate funds for UP. In the absence of funds we cannot achieve target within stipulated time,” the official said declaring that UP’s share stands at Rs487 crore which centre has not released so far.
A ward or city can be declared free of open defecation if, during a verification drive, not a single person is found defecating in the open. Under the Ministry’s protocol, a ward or a city first declares itself open-defecation-free; then the State informs the Ministry, which gets the claim verified through a third party–which is Quality Council of India, set up by Government in collaboration with industry. Experts from this body carry out multiple inspections at different times of the day on at least five places in each zone in a city or town. These places must include a slum, a school, a public area like a market or a religious place, a residential area, and a bus stand or railway station. In Gujarat, 167 urban local bodies have been provided with open-defecation-free certificates, followed by 91 in Andhra Pradesh and 70 in Maharashtra. The official said that the State Governments and civic bodies were asked to reach out to community representatives for an effective audit of both household and community toilets. “How can we carry out the audit without funds. We have taken some initiatives from our own resources and result will be there for every one will see,” he said. According to the Ministry of Urban Development, 405 cities and towns have declared themselves Open Defecation Free.