Homemaker from Tapan to be awarded for building toilet in in-laws' house

Balurghat: The state Panchayat and Rural Development minister Subrata Mukherjee will honour Rabeya Bibi, a homemaker from Tapan in South Dinajpur,

with an award for her fight to set up a toilet at her in-laws' residence within two months of her marriage by selling out her cattle.

The district administration has organised a programme at Balurghat on Monday in which South Dinajpur will be declared as Open Defecation Free (ODF) district.

In the same programme, Mukherjee will be handing over the award to the newly married poor woman from minority community. Dibyendu Sarkar, Commissioner, Panchayats and Rural Development department will be present at the programme.

It may be mentioned that the state government has taken up several programmes to make people aware about the necessity of making a district free from open defecation.

Rabeya was moved after closely watching one of the awareness programmes of the project Mission

Nirmal Bangla and made up her mind to be successful in setting up a toilet at her in-laws' house.

Rabeya was married to one Mofijuddin Mian of Bejahar village under Dipkhanda gram panchayat in Tapan block about two months ago. There was no toilet at her in-laws' residence at the time of marriage and despite repeated requests, her husband couldn't set it up due to financial crisis.

But she was not ready to give up hope.

Finding no other way out, she had to take the decision of selling out cattle.

Rabeya, who is proud of her success, said: "I sold two goats for Rs 7,500 after I was encouraged to build a toilet listening to the state government's campaign of making Bengal free from open defecation".

Siddhartha Subba, BDO of Tapan, said: "She has set an example and also created awareness among others to make Tapan an ODF block."