Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty’s popular Radio and Television advertisement on sanitation for the flagship programme of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBA) where she tries to name and shame those spreading garbage at public places seems to have become a noble formulae for the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC). The civic body, though inadvertently, has launched a drive for gifting those not constructing toilets despite being provided with SBA funds with a pack of garbage.
The innovative drive began from July 14 when RMC Town Commissioner Shantanu Kumar Agrahari gifted bags full of garbage to some defaulters during the inspection of few wards along with other officials of RMC. The drive that is initiated with a purpose to inculcate the sanitation habits among the people will continue and will cover all the 55 ward, said Additional Municipal Commissioner (AMC), Divyanshu Jha, who accompanied the civic body team on Friday to notify all defaulters.
“In the wake of rising concern over cleanliness issue, it has become mandatory for the Municipal Corporation to target all those people who despite getting monetary assistance from government are yet to construct toilets on their premises. The drive has been launched focusing on the public interest issue primarily health of each individual,” said, the AMC.
According to the reports available with the civic body, approximately, 35,000 households have been identified by the Municipal Corporation where toilets are to be constructed. “Out of 35,000 households, as many as 17,000 houses have constructed toilets. Nearly, 6000 beneficiaries have got the payment under the scheme but they have yet not started the construction work despite giving them sufficient time,” Jha added.
Since several people are yet to construct toilets, now on everyday basis as a symbolic mark for taking up the mission of constructing toilets ahead, the civic body personnel will dump garbage in front all such houses that have yet not build toilets.
Officials of the Municipal Corporation firmly believes that this symbolic gesture of gifting packets of garbage to the house owners who have yet not constructed toilets will have a positive impact in the long run and will be helpful in changing the mindsets.
Notably, Ranchi, the Capital City is yet to be declared Open Defecation Free (ODF). As per the census 2011, there are 18 blocks in the State Capital, out of which only two-three blocks have become ODF till date. Furthermore, the State government has set the target of 2017 for achieving 100 percent ODF goal for all the Urban local Bodies (UlBs).
“Keeping the central government’s ambitious scheme ‘Swacch Bharat Mission’ in mind, the drive has been initiated in two phases. In the first phase, all those people who have constructed toilets will be given a cheque of Rs.6000 while in the second phase, the civic body personnel will identify the houses that are yet to construct toilets,” added Jha.
Moreover, the countdown for Swacchta Sarvekshan-2018 is likely to kick-off in a month. Soon the guidelines of the sanitation survey challenge will be also released by the Union Ministry. The State Urban Development Agency (SUDA) has already instructed the Municipal Corporation to start the preparation. In an attempt to fetch better ranking, accessibility to toilets at each household is one key point and plays a pivotal role.