Having achieved the arduous target of constructing approximately 31,000 toilets within the municipal periphery successfully, Ranchi along with other Urban local Bodies (UlBs) will be declared Open Defecation-Free (ODF) today.
In the presence of CM Raghubar Das along with Minister, Railways and Coal, GoI Piyush Goyal, the announcement will be made. Notably, the State Government had set the deadline of October 2 for 41 UlBs across Jharkhand to ensure the construction of toilets on or before October 2.
The programme is being organised under the aegis of Swaach Bharat Abhiyaan-Urban and PMAY-Urban schemes respectively. By far, no objections or grievances have been received by the Swachcch Bharat Mission (SBM) cell of RMC regarding the construction of toilets from any ward. According to the City Managers, the completion of construction of toilets was done following two major schemes. The Municipal Corporation has also constructed 22 modular community toilets in slums and in other interior locations.
Meanwhile, in the course of declaring Ranchi ODF, the Municipal Corporation team left no stone unturned to curtail this menace. From adopting innovative measures like roping in members of NGOs, women of Self Help Groups (SHGs) to launching special drives to combat the menace of defecating in open. Setting examples for the others, all OD spots will be converted into green covers soon.
Also, this is the elementary stage where the status of ODF has just been verified by the State Urban Development Agency (SUDA), however, the sanitation drive will continue further. In a short while, the members of Quality Council of India (QCI) will also visit the designated OD spots identified by the Civic Body. Only after considering the records and conducting inspection of the OD spots twice, final certification will be given to RMC and other UlBs considering its status.
“Through rigorous drive, we have been able to complete the construction of 31,000 toilets in State Capital. However, this is just a first step, at least thrice; the Municipal Corporation will have to go through a rigorous procedure. All the identified OD spots will be certified by QCI team on their parameters again and then finally GoI will provide us the ODF certificate,” said, RMC City Manager, Shashi Kumar. The dignitaries list includes Minister, Urban Development and Housing CP Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Mahesh Poddar, Mayor Asha lakra, Ranchi MP Ramtahal Choudhary, Hatia MlA Navin Jaiswal, Kanke MlA Jitu Charan Ram, Khijri MlA Ram Kumar Pahan.
Also, under the PMAY, the event will also mark the celebration of ‘Grih Pravesh Pujanutsav’. It will be held at Harmu Ground at 4 pm.