Soon, Howrah to be declared open defecation free

Howrah will be declared as Open Defecation Free (ODF) soon.In the pipeline are Uttar Dinajpur, Murshidabad and Birbhum.

It may be mentioned that seven districts in the state have become open defecation free. Nadia was the country's first district to become ODF. The state government has decided to make all the districts open defecation free by March 2019. It may be mentioned that Panchayats and Rural Development minister Subrata Mukherjee had urged all the district magistrates at a function in Nadia in 2012 to take a pledge to make the districts where their working as open defecation free. Nirmal Bangla Mission begun earlier than Swachh Bharata Abhiyan announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Senior officials of North Panchayats and Rural Development department said in Howrah, construction of toilets in rural homes is complete and the department also completed their verifications. Attempts will be made to make Uttar Dinajpur, Murshidabad and Birbhum open defecation free within this year. Work in these three districts are being carried out in full swing. Apart from construction of toilets in rural homes, massive campaign is on among people about their usage and the district administration is taking steps to ensure that the villagers do not defecate in the open once the construction of toilets are completed.

Moreover, the villagers have been taught about their maintenance. "It will be a major problem if the villagers do not maintain them as the state government will not be able to provide funds for their maintenance," officials said.

A major problem is cropping up with the toilets that had been constructed before the Nirmal Bangla mission had come up as many of them need immediate repair. Now, if the users again start defecating in the open after failing to use the toilets, then the whole effort to make the districts open defecation free will become futile.